We Are Family
by TeddyBear98
Summary: This is a sequel to my story "Abandoned." It's been just over a year since Jack's mother left with only a note to explain why, and suddenly she is back with a husband and a daughter. She expects Jack to just come back and live with her and accept his new stepfather and half-sibling like nothing had ever happened. Join Jack and the Warriors as they deal with this new situation.
1. Surprise! Look Who's Back!

**Important Author's Note:**** Here is the first chapter of my new story "Sequel to Abandoned." I may change the title later if I can think of a good title for it instead of just calling it the sequel for Abandoned! Enjoy and review, please! Okay, here is the important part: Jack and Kim were not a couple in "Abandoned," but I am making them a couple in this story! Hey, they've lived in the same house for a year now; they've grown some stronger feelings towards each other! **

**Kim's POV**

"Jack, come on, we're going to be late!" I yell, pounding on the door. "JACK!" A minute later, my boyfriend emerges from the guest room of my house, which had been his room for a little over a year now. "Kim, relax! We are not going to be late! Practice doesn't start for another . . ." he pauses, looking at the time on his cell phone. "Holy crap Kim, hurry up we're gonna be late!" he says, grabbing my hand and pulling me downstairs. Today was the first day of our 3-week Christmas vacation, and we were of course still having karate practice; Rudy didn't particularly like it when any of us were late, either.

"Jack, slow down!" I scream at him as he drags me down the street in a run. "Sorry, Kimmy," he apologizes, slowing down. "You know Jack, normally it's me who makes us late; it's nice to have it reversed for once," I say, smirking. "That's it, Kimmy!" he says, and starts to chase me down the street. I run away, my smirk turning into a full-blown smile. "You know I'm faster than you Jackson!" I call to him, laughing and continuing to run down the street. I run all the way to the strip mall, but instead of going right into the dojo, I stop at one of the window displays of a clothing store, looking at a really nice sweater. "Jack, I'll be right back; I wanna go see how much that costs," I say when Jack runs up behind me.

He grumbles about me making us even more late if I go in there, so I tell him to go to the dojo without me if he's that worried. Just like I thought, though, he comes into the store with me. "Excuse me, how much does that blue sweater in the window display cost?" I ask the first employee I see. "15 dollars, hun," the saleslady replies. Great, I had that much! "Cool, do you have any more that aren't on display?" I ask. She tells me to wait there while she checks in the back. "Kim . . . we really should get to practice," Jack warns. I am about to go off on him when I hear a baby start to scream. Turning towards where I hear the child, I see a man who is obviously the father bouncing a baby girl in his arms, desperately trying to quiet her down. I walk over there, Jack tailing behind me asking what the heck I am doing; I ignore him.

"Having trouble?" I ask the frustrated man. "Yeah, just a little," he says, looking at Jack with an expression on his face that I can't identify; was it recognition? I don't know, so ignoring it, I say, "Do you mind if I try?"

Giving one more glance at Jack, he says, "Be my guest," and hands the screaming child over to me. Smiling at the adorable baby girl, I start to coo at her a little and bounce her up and down; seconds later, she gives one last little wail and then quiets down, smiling and laughing at me, and I can't help but realize that she looks a little like Jack: she has the same shaped nose, that same incredible smile that could make anyone happy, the brown hair starting to sprout on her head . . . actually, she looks a _lot_ like Jack; the only huge difference was that she had pretty, deep blue colored eyes instead of his chocolate brown.

"Wow, she's so beautiful," I tell the man. Then to Jack I say, "Look, Jack, doesn't she look like you?" Jack walks over and inspects the baby, and when he realizes that I'm right, he looks a little freaked out. We look to the man, who is looking from Jack, to his daughter, and then back to Jack.

"You wouldn't happen to be Jackson Brewer, would you?" he asks. Jack looks even more freaked out and now a little suspicious when the man knows his name. "How do you know who I am?" he demands. I finally realize what is going on when the mother of the child comes out of the dressing room and kisses the father; Jack realizes a second later when she turns toward him and says, "Jack!"

"Mom?!" he replies, surprise and confusion evident in his voice.

I just stare open mouthed at the woman who had left Jack, sweet Jack, a little over a year ago with only so much as a note to explain her disappearance; she couldn't handle the "burden" of raising him anymore and just left without trace, and now here she was standing right in front of us. "Hi, honey!" she comes forward and hugs Jack, who is too shocked to even attempt to move away from her, but he doesn't hug back either. "It's been a while, huh, Jack?" she asks. "Well, I would like you to meet James, my husband, and, well, I see you've already met little Erin! She's your half-sister, Jack! Isn't that exciting!?" Jack just stares blankly back at his mother, then James, and then down at little Erin still smiling in my arms; then he just walks out of the store.

I hand Erin back to James and follow after Jack, passing the store employee with my sweater on the way out. "I'll be back for that later!" I say as I power walk out of the store after seeing her confused expression. I look around for Jack, and I see him disappear into the dojo, so I run there and enter. Once inside, I see him beating up a punching dummy while the rest of the guys converge on him, asking him where he has been and why he is late. He doesn't answer them, so when they see me standing there, they circle around me and ask me the same question.

"Rudy, I need to talk to you in your office for a sec, okay?" I ask. Rudy nods, and I follow him towards his office, grabbing a hold of Jack's arm and pulling him in with us, and then close the door behind us. "So, what's the matter?" Rudy asks. Jack just plops down on the couch and stares off into space, obviously lost in his own thoughts, so I guess it's up to me to explain the entire situation; I figured he would at least help a little bit once we were in private.

"Jack's mom is back here in Seaford, Rudy; we just ran into her at that little clothing shop a few stores down from here. She's acting like it was no big deal not being in his life for over a year, and on top of that she is now remarried and Jack has a half-sister," I explain to Rudy. Obviously Rudy was not expecting this, because all he can say at first is "oh." His mature side kicks in, though, and he kneels down next to Jack and says, "It's okay to be a little shocked or upset about this, Jack, but we'll work it out, okay? Just don't go running off like last year, okay?" Rudy says kindly to him; Jack just nods and walks back out into the main part of the dojo, going right back to beating up a punching dummy, just leaving Rudy and me to share a worried glance and wonder how this whole situation is going to play out.

**Author's Note: So, how was that for the first chapter? Was it exciting enough? I hope so! Please review!**


	2. NOT Smoothing Things Over

**Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who reviewed my first chapter! I hope everyone likes this one too! Enjoy and review, please!**

**Jack's POV**

"Come on, Jack, tell us what's wrong!" Jerry tries for about the tenth time in less than a minute. "Jack, come _on!" _he continues to whine. I am seriously about to lose my temper with him, and luckily Kim chooses that moment to come out of Rudy's office. She sees the annoyed look on my face and steps in between Jerry and me. "Jack, why don't we head back to the house?" she asks me, concern in her eyes. "We just got here," I reply; I guess she's worried that I'll harm Jerry if I stay. "Alright, fine," Kim says.

I go back to beating on the punching dummy, hard. I know that Kim and the guys keep sneaking glances at me as they do their own thing, like breaking boards or sparring, but I just block them out, entering my own little world and emptying all of my confusion and hurt into the dummy. _My mom is back. I have a stepdad. I have a sister . . ._

"JACK!" I hear Kim scream my name, and I turn towards her, startled. She is snapping her fingers in my face, looking worried, and all of the others, including Rudy, are staring at me. Feeling slightly embarrassed, I ask, "What?"

"Dude, we're going over to Falafel Phil's, you wanna come?" Jerry asks slowly, as if he is talking to someone who doesn't understand English. "Uh, yeah, sure," I say, taking Kim's hand and starting to walk over with them; I can feel Rudy's eyes watching me as I walk out of the dojo. Was they really that concerned about me? I guess he just didn't want a repeat of last year; trust me, I didn't want that either. The bell over the door to the dojo rings as the door closes behind the five of us. I grab the handle of the door to Falafel Phil's, about to pull it open when I see an all too familiar face inside: my mom, with James and baby Erin. She meets my eyes and smiles, motioning for me to come inside; instead I say, "Guys, I'm not hungry, actually," and jog away from the restaurant.

They all look very confused as I leave hurriedly, but I see Kim finally get it when she looks inside and sees who is there. She is about to come after me when the door to Phil's opens, blocking her when she tries to step forward; James comes out and jogs in my direction, soon followed by Kim while Eddie, Milton, and Jerry all just stay where they are and stare after us, looking extremely confused. "Jack, come on, wait a second!" I hear James call out. I risk a look back, and see him not far behind, and I notice that Kim is speeding up to catch me, probably worried that I'll run off again like last time and get myself into trouble again.

I would never put her or my friends through something like that again, so even though I really don't want to talk to James, I slow to a stop so Kim can see that I'm not going anywhere. James gets to me first, looking thankful that I stopped; I just glare at him. Kim gets there a couple of seconds later, panting. "Jack, I admit what you're mother did was wrong, but do you really have to avoid her like that? You're really hurting her, bud."

Kim looks like she wants to say something, but I do first. "Okay, first of all, don't call me 'bud,' and second of all, _I'm _really hurting _her_?! She left me for over a year because I was a she thought I was a burden and couldn't even bother to say goodbye to me in person! She left a freakin' note!" I yell at him, angry. The guys come jogging up just as I am finishing my little mini rant. They look from me, to Kim, then too James.

"Okay, I'm confused . . . why'd you run off and who's the dude?" Jerry asks. Well, they had to find out eventually. "The answer to your first question, Jerry, is because my mom is in Falafel Phil's, and the 'dude' is my stepdad," I say, glaring at James when I say the 'stepdad' part.

"Dude, what!?" Jerry demands. "You're mom's back in Seaford?"

"Yeah, right in Falafel Phil's. Oh, and I forgot to mention that I also now have a half-sister named Erin," I say. Don't get me wrong, I had nothing against little Erin, but I figured they should know about her too. All three of the guys just stand there with their mouths open; Kim glares at them until they close them. "Jack, please at least come and talk with your mom," James pleads. "She really missed you over the past year; she mentioned you to me a lot."

"Yeah, she loved me enough to have another kid," I retort back. "I have nothing to say to her."

"Well, at least think of your sister; are you going avoid her for your entire life too, just because you have a grudge against your mom?"

"Well, no . . ."

"Alright then, why don't you come with me then and you can smooth over everything and spend some time with us and your baby sister?" James says kindly, motioning towards Falafel Phil's.

"I'm sorry but it's not that simple; things can't just be 'smoothed over,' James," I say and powerwalk away, followed by my friends; this time, my stepdad obviously realizes that he isn't going to make any progress with me and decides not to follow, which is smart of him because I couldn't guarantee that I wouldn't lose my temper and use karate on him if he had followed. "Jack, where are you going?" Kim asks me as she and the guys try to keep up with my fast pace.

"Listen, Kim, guys: I appreciate you being concerned, but I really just want to be alone right now, okay?" I say, stopping and looking at them all in turn. Hoping they get the message, I turn and walk away, satisfied when I don't hear any footsteps following me. I turn left at the corner, continue down, and then turn right, soon arriving at my old house, that had been abandoned for over a year now, just like I had been. Walking up the steps of the front porch, I grab the key out of my pocket (I always kept it with me for some reason, though I hadn't been back here since I moved in with Kim), unlock the door, go upstairs to my old room, and flop down on my old bed, and soon I fall asleep.

**Author's Note: Please review! Thanks! Hope you liked this chapter!**


	3. Face to Face

**Author's Note: Drum roll please: Here is chapter 3! Enjoy and review, my lovely Kickin' It maniacs!**

**Kim's POV **

I open my eyes and the first thing I do is get out of bed and head over to Jack's room; I want to make sure he is okay, since yesterday he just wanted to be left alone. When I had gone to bed he wasn't home yet, but he has to be here now. The door is closed, so I knock and wait for him to open it; he doesn't. "Jack? Are you okay?" I call; there is no response, so I open the door and walk in. I quickly realize that he isn't in here. My heart starts to race and questions fly through my mind: Did he run away again? Is he in trouble? Is he hurt? Where is he!?

I run back into my room, grab my iPhone and quickly dial his number; he doesn't answer. Okay, now I'm freaking out; Jack, where the heck are you!? I am about to go downstairs and report him missing to my mom when I remember that Jack got and iPhone from my mom for his 16th birthday, so I can use the Find My iPhone app to see where he is. Thank you modern technology!

I enter the passcode for the app and click "Jack's iPhone." After about a minute of it still not locating yet, I am seriously about to call the guys and go on a search mission for him when it finally pops up: He is at 37 Seaside Avenue; (**A/N I made the address up) **that's his old house, and he hasn't been there since his mom abandoned him last year.

I wonder why he is there now. I quickly put on my black skinny jeans, the blue sweater I went back to buy yesterday, and my Uggs (it's supposed to be cool out today), then brush my hair out and rush out of the door. "Kim, where are you going?" My mom asks me before I close the door. "To see Jack!" I call, sticking my head back in momentarily. She looks confused, since she thought Jack was here, but I leave before she can ask any more questions. Five minutes later, I arrive at Jack's old house. It was kind of weird being back, since I had really only been by it few times since the entire incident last year.

I test the door to see if it will open and find it unlocked, so I walk in and head towards where I know the stairs are. It's weird being back here; everything feel empty and weird, even though nothing has changed except for the fact that there is a layer dust over everything, and the shades are all closed so it is kind of dark. Focus, Kim, you're here to find Jack! I walk upstairs and go to the one place I figure he might go: his old bedroom.

Sure enough, I walk in and find Jack curled up on his old bed, asleep. I can't help but feel sorry for him; his whole life had been turned upside down when his mom left, and although he had gone back to being happy eventually, things had never been the same for him. Now that his mom is back, everything has changed again, and I guess he thought that coming here would maybe give him at least some comfort, since things used to be good for him here.

Sighing, I sit down on the bed next to him and gently rub his back, then shake him slightly. "Jack, wake up," I say softly. He softly groans a little bit, and then wakes up. "Kim?" he says groggily. "Yeah, " I say. He sits up and blinks his eyes a few times, waking himself up. "Kim, what are you doing here? How'd you know I was here?" he asks me

"I was worried about you, Jack; and I used that "Find my iPhone" app to find you," I say.

"Oh, the perks of having an iPhone: your girlfriend stalking you," he says with a smile; I smile back at him, and then kiss him on the cheek. "Hey, we have practice today; do you think you feel up to going?" I ask in a cautious tone, worried that I might offend him. "Yeah, Kim, I think I'll be fine," he answers giving me another smile; I can still see his mixed-up emotions showing in his eyes, and I think that maybe he could use some quality time with the punching dummy to let it all out.

"Good! Let's go back home first so you can change into some fresh clothes," I say, not letting on that I can read his emotions; it would just make him feel awkward an weak, and I know he wouldn't like that. I get up off of the bed and give Jack my hand, pulling him off too. We walk hand in hand down the stairs and head for the door when we hear voices talking right outside; we freeze. Who the heck would be here . . . never mind. I realize even before they walk in. "You have got to be kidding me," Jack says when we find ourselves face to face with his mom and James.

**Author's Note: I know it is short, but I liked that ending! Next chapter tomorrow, since I update every night! Please review!**


	4. Don't You Love Me, Jack?

**Author's Note: Here is chapter 4! I am SO sorry that I didn't update yesterday! It was almost done, and then I had to go to bed because it was a school night! :'( Sorry ! I hope you enjoy and review, though! Please? Lol enjoy guys. Oh, and I'm thinking of making the name to this story "We Are Family." What do you guys think? You can tell me when you review if you don't mind! Thanks!  
**

**Jack's POV**

"You have got to be kidding me," I say when I find myself face to face with my mom and stepdad. It comes out as annoyed and angry, but I feel more sad and longing; we'll just say my feelings are kind of jumbled right now.

"Jack, Kim, hi! How did you two get in here? Knowing Jack, I figured he wouldn't have stayed here alone after I left for a while," she says.

"You _don't _know me anymore, _mother, _and I have a key," I say angrily, glaring at her. I can see hurt in her eyes after I say that to her, and I regret it a little bit; for a second I consider apologizing, but decide against it. She caused me a lot of hurt, so it was only fair that she felt a fraction of what she put me through, right? Or was that too harsh . . . .?

"Jack, sweetie, I know what I did was wrong; I'm sorry that I left, but it all worked out, didn't it? I found love again, you have an adorable new sister –" she pauses for a second, gesturing at Erin in James's arms. "And now we are all together and can be one happy family. Wouldn't you like that, Jack?" I don't answer, just thinking for a minute. I did want to be part of a happy family, and I already was: Kim's parents had already accepted me into their family, and the guys were almost like brothers to me. I didn't need my mom after what she did to me.

"_But don't you want to have your mother's love again?" _a part of me says. "_Don't you want things to go back to the way they were before, and to live happily ever after?" _This part of me was making it very hard to decide what to say to my mother. Finally, I decide on, "Why did you leave, mom? Do you know how much that hurt me? Do you even know what happened because of you? We were almost killed by psychopaths!" I yell the last part; she looks very confused.

"You were almost killed by psychopaths?" she asks, looking shocked.

"Yeah, but forget it, it doesn't matter! You left me, so obviously you don't care what the heck happens to me!" A tear falls down her cheek.

"Jack, of course I care about you! I made a bad decision, and I truly am sorry, Jack! Please, sweetie, I love you! Please forgive me!" she says pleadingly, more tears falling down her face; now I feel seriously guilty, like I did something wrong, and I feel like I need to make up for it, but at the same time I can't make myself speak, because I can't stop thinking about the pain she caused me. What am I supposed to do!?

"Jack, please honey! I still love you; do you – do you not love me?" she chokes out while James tries to comfort her.

"Mom, no, of course I love you – it's just, I – I just . . ." I don't know how to continue. Kim puts a comforting hand on my shoulder, but I shrug it off. "I can't do this," I say, tears now falling down my face. I push past James and run out of the door, trying to wipe the tears away. Eventually I just can't run anymore, and I plop myself down on the sidewalk and just sit there, still trying to wipe my tears away as more and more fall. A minute later, I feel Kim's comforting hand on my shoulder again, and then she is sitting down next to me, just soothingly rubbing my back. I rest my head on her shoulder and close my eyes, feeling myself calm down a little.

I would be embarrassed to cry in front of people normally, but I've had an emotional 2 days, so this time I let myself, and I know that Kim won't think any differently of me for doing it. "Thanks Kimmy," I say quietly after I am able to get myself under control.

"No problem, Jack. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Kim, I'm fine," I say, but it's unconvincing even to me. She is about to say something back when a man briskly walks around us, and then back onto the sidewalk when he gets ahead of us. Before he continues on, though, he makes a point to turn around and say, "The sidewalk is for walking, kids! Get a room, love doves!"

Kim angrily gets up and shouts after him, "We were having a moment, scrooge!" and sticks her tongue out at him, even though his back is turned and he can't see her do it. I can't help but snicker a little bit, and a small smile spreads across my face. Kim looks down at me and says, "What?" She smiles too, though, obviously knowing 'what.' She sticks her hand out to me and I take it; she helps me up onto my feet and then hugs me; I hug back, feeling slightly better. "Kim, what should I do?" I ask into her hair. She pulls away and looks me in the eyes.

"Well, Jack, that's up to you. What do_ you _think you should do? If it was me, I would find it hard to forgive her after everything she would have put me through, but at the same time she would still be my mother and I would still love her. You have a hard decision to make, Jack, I guess it's a matter of if you feel that you can trust her again and try to repair your relationship. Do you feel like you can do that?"

"I – I don't know," I say. This is so frustrating! Why can't I make a decision about this?

"It's okay that you don't know, Jack; take your time and I'm sure you'll come up with the right decision."

"Alright, Kimmy; you're good at giving advice, you know," I tell her. She smiles and blushes a little. "Thanks, Jack."

"No problem, Kimmy."

**Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed chapter 4! Please review! By the way, if you were a fan of Lover's Bait by MrsCharlieAckles, the sequel is out called Dark Dragon! Go check it out, and if you haven't read Lover's Bait read it because it was amazing, and then read Dark Dragon because it is also amazing so far and really intense so far! Love ya all! Thanks! Next chapter will be up tomorrow!**


	5. Bonding Over a Baby

**Author's Note: Here is chapter 5! I hope everyone went to check out Lover's Bait and the sequel to it, Dark Dragon, by MrsCharlieAckles! Now, I think you should also go check out shiqi98's kickin it story: The Perfect Summer, Or Not? Now, enough of me talking! Read on, people, and please review! You do like this story don't you . . .? lol.**

**Jack's POV **

"Jack, can I come in?" Kim calls from the other side of my closed bedroom door, knocking softly. "Uh, one second! I'm getting . . . dressed! I say. It's a lie, though; what I was really doing was flipping through an old photo album of mine from when I was little, something I hadn't looked at in over a year. It was filled with pictures of my mom and me from when I was a baby and young kid. There was also one of my mom and dad with my mom while she was pregnant with me, before he died.

As fast as I can, I close the photo album, drop in on the floor, and nudge it under the bed with my foot while I yell, "Okay, come in!" to Kim; I hope that the album is safely out of sight under my bed. A second later, Kim comes in, smiling. I smile back, but I'm tired, since I stayed up all last night trying to come to a decision about this entire thing; I don't think my smile looks to happy. "Good morning! You look tired, Jack; did you get any sleep last night?" I shake my head "no."

She looks sympathetic, but it quickly turns to confusion. "Jack, didn't you just say that you were getting dressed?" she asks me. "Yeah; why?" I ask. She just looks me up and down, and that's when I realize that I'm still in my pajamas. My face flushes red. "Jack, if you're going to lie to me, at least put some effort into it, sweetie," she says, looking half ticked off and half curious. "What were you really doing?"

Sighing, I bend down and grab the photo album out from under the bed. Kim raises and eyebrow at me, but doesn't say anything, just takes it from my hands and sits down at the bed, opening it and flipping through the pages. When she closes it a few minutes later and looks up at me, her look on her face has softened, and I can see some sadness in her eyes. "You're really having a hard time deciding what to do, aren't you, Jack?" she asks. I nod my head "yes," and I can feel tears pricking my eyes.

"Oh, Jack," she says, getting up from the bed and hugging me tightly; I clutch her tightly, letting the few tears fall. "I hate seeing you like this, Jack; you may forgive your mom, but I never will. No one should ever make you feel like this." I am surprised at the anger flaring in her voice.

After both mine and her emotions are under control, we release each other and just kind of stand there in silence for another minute before Kim say, "Um, do you wanna go shopping? I really need to get a Christmas present for my mom and dad, considering Christmas is in 5 days," she says.

"Sure, Kimmy, I'd love too. Just let me get dressed."

"Is that what you're really gonna do this time, Jack?" she asks, smirking.

Smirking back, I grab her shoulders and gently push my girlfriend toward the door. "Alright, Jack, point taken! Now let go of me before I flip you!" she says, laughing. I let go, knowing that she probably would seriously flip me if I didn't release her. Once she is out, I close the door and grab a baby blue V-neck and a pair of black skinny jeans out of the closet, and then slip a pair of black high tops **(A/N just picture Jack's typical style, that's pretty much it). **Grabbing my cell phone off of my dresser, I open the door and open the door, which hits Kim when it swings out. "Ouch, Jack!"

"Sorry, Kim! Don't stand so close to the door next time!" I say, smiling a little bit.

"Run, Brewer," she advises me. I listen, taking off running down the hallway, down the stairs, and out the door, her not far behind; I had a sense of déjà vu from just days ago when I chased her down the street, the day I found out my mom was back . . . . "_don't think about that, Jack"_ I tell myself. While I'm thinking, Kim manages to catch up to me and tackle me onto the ground, right in front of the store across from the dojo. The mall pedestrians give us odd looks as Kim lays on toppled over my chest, and we both laugh like maniacs; I don't care, though, because I have a good time and take my mind off of things. After our laughter dies down, Kim gets off of me and stands up, and then I get up too. Kim runs her hands through her hair, fixing it, and then she points to the new little knick-knack store farther down in the strip mall.

"Jack, let's go there; my mom loves little knick-knacks!" she says excitedly.

I can't help but smile and snicker a little bit at her enthusiasm. "Alright, Kimmy, let's go," I say, taking her hand in mine and walking with her. I am about to walk into the store with her when I see a familiar face sitting at a table in the mall courtyard: James, with my little sister in his arms. "Jack, are you coming?" Kim asks me; she was already inside and came back out to see what the hold-up is. "Yeah, just give me a few minutes! I want to go check on something really quick," I tell her, not looking in the direction of James and Erin so Kim won't realize what I'm talking about. She gives me an odd look, but shrugs and walks into the store without me.

Once I see her disappear toward the back of the store, I head over to the table where James is sitting and take the seat across from him; he gives me the same odd look that Kim had just given me. "Hi, Jack," he says, looking confused but being friendly, obviously not wanting to ruin the chance to talk to me.

"Um, hey," I say; it feels kind of awkward talking to him, but I was the one who came over here, so I brought it on myself. Finding my words, I gather the courage to ask what I was going to ask: "Can I hold her?" I ask, gesturing at Erin. He gives me a small smile.

"Sure, Jack," he says. He gets up from his seat and walks around the table to me, placing Erin carefully in my arms. My little sister smiles up at me, and I can't help but smile back at the little girl.

"She has your eyes," I say to James, trying to make some kind of small talk.

He smiles a little again and says, "Yeah, but she looks more like your mom, which is why she bares such a strong resemblance to you, Jack."

"Yeah," I say, and then after a little hesitation, I say, "I'm sorry I yelled at you yesterday. You didn't do anything wrong, and I understand why you would defend my mom; you are her husband, after all."

"Thanks for understanding, Jack, and I'm sorry too. I know that this whole thing has been hard on you, and I was wrong to try and force you to just accept it and go back to the way things used to be; I know that it's going to take time."

"Yeah," I say; then we kind of fall into silence, but I think that we both feel comfortable with it.

**Author's Note: Aww, stepdad –stepson moment! Haha hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Read and review! Also, like I said, don't forget to check out shiqi98's story! Thanks you!**


	6. Curiosity

**Author's Note: Chapter 6 is here! Yay! Haha anyway I hope that you all went to check out shiqi98's awesome Kickin' It story: The Perfect Summer, Or Not? It's good! Now, I have one more suggestion for you: go check out Bluedog270! She has this awesome Kickin' it story: "Please Come Home for Christmas! Okay, well that's enough of me talking (or should I say typing?). Read on, Kickin' It fans!**

**Kim's POV **

A smile spreads across my face as I watch Jack holding his half-sister. He has no clue that I'm watching, of course; he thinks that I'm busy shopping while he "checks something out," but I knew what he was doing all along. He can't hide anything from me; I saw James with Erin a few minutes before he realized they were there, and Jack sucks at lying, so I would have known anyway.

I am so happy that Jack is finally starting to adjust to everything again; he had even had a little conversation with James, although I had couldn't tell what they were saying. I see Jack stand up and hand Erin back to her father, and then he writes something a napkin and hands it to him as well; I wonder what he wrote?

When Jack starts walking over to the store I am in, I quickly move away from the window and pretend to be interested in a really weird-looking glass figurine. The bell above the door rings, and I turn around to see Jack walk in. I put the figurine back and head over to him. "Did you enjoy the show, Kimmy?" he asks, smirking.

"Huh?" I ask, feigning innocence. He just continues to look at me for a few seconds like "really Kim?"

"I saw you moving away from the window as soon as I started walking over here," he says, laughing. I can't help but laugh too.

"Alright, you caught me. What were you and James talking about and what was on the piece of paper that you gave him?" I ask my boyfriend, insanely curious.

Smirking again, Jack looks at me and says, "None of your business, little miss." I frown and glare daggers at him, and a slightly nervous expression takes that of his previous cocky one.

"Kim, relax, I'm kidding!" he says quickly, as if he is worried that if he doesn't say it fast, he will be in some serious trouble; he was right to think that, because I would not hesitate to flip him right here in public. "We just talked a little bit about Erin and my mom, and I gave him my cell phone number because he asked for it," he says.

"You gave him your cell phone number? You're starting to warm up to him, aren't you, Jack?! Aw, stepfather – stepson bonding!" I say loudly, and a few people in the store turn to look at us. "Kim!" he whines.

"What, am I embarrassing you Jack?" I ask in a fake incredulous voice, mocking his little pouty face.

"No!" he says, blushing slightly.

"Yeah, sure Jack," I say, trying to hold in my laughter but failing. He glares at me, but he can't keep it up and joins in my laughing fit. "Come on, let's go to the dojo; don't we have practice today?" I say, suddenly aware that we are probably very late for karate practice. Jack pulls out his cell phone and looks at the time, his face showing concern.

"Uh, yeah, we do have practice, and we are just about an hour late, Kimmy," he says. I stop laughing at hearing that; Rudy doesn't like it when we're late.

"Great, just great," I say; Jack just stays where he is, looking at me. "Well don't just stand there!" I yell at him. "Come on, Jack, we're late!" I grab his arm and drag him over to the dojo. Jerry, Eddie, and Milton all stopped what they were doing to look at us as we walk in, looking surprised.

"Hey, the love doves actually showed up! We thought you were ditching; why are you two so late?" Jerry asks.

"We forgot about practice, but we're here now so shut it Jerry," I snap, smirking at his slightly scared reaction. Just then, Rudy comes out of his office and looks to Jack and me.

"Well, look who finally showed up!" he says, sounding a little bit annoyed.

"Rudy, we're sorry! We just forgot, and I was trying to do Christmas shopping and then Jack was holding his sister for a while and talking a little bit with James, but –"

Rudy cuts me off. "Aww, you got to hold you little sister for the first time! How was it?!" he asks, his soft-sensitive side taking over and his annoyance at us forgotten.

"It was nice, Rudy, she even smiled at me," Jack says proudly.

"Oh, wow; the great Jack Brewer late because of a cute smiling baby," Jerry says, meaning it as a joke; Jack doesn't find it funny.

"Five seconds, Martinez," he says, glaring at him.

"Got it," Jerry says, running out of the dojo doors; Jack, true to his word, goes after him five seconds later, leaving the rest of us laughing like crazy people.

**Author's Note: Um, I have nothing to say but please review!**


	7. A Bad Accident Leads to Bad News

**Author's Note: Hey guys, sorry for not updating yesterday! I was busy! I really hope that everyone checked out shiqi98 and Bluedog270, guys! It would mean a lot to them if you read and reviewed their stories! Anyways, enjoy this chapter! **

**Kim's POV**

About ten minutes later, Jack finally comes back with a smug look on his face. "Where'd Jerry go?" I ask when I don't see our Latino friend come in with him.

"Oh, I chased him for a while as he screamed like a girl, and then he finally ran home and locked himself inside," Jack informs us, looking pleased with himself. Rudy laughs and goes back into his office. Letting the subject drop, Jack takes his shoes off and, grabbing a Bo staff, steps onto the mat and starts practicing a new routine he has been working on for the past few weeks; he's really making progress on it, and I'm impressed with him.

"Hey Jack, that's looking really good!" I say, walking over to him, but not getting too close so that the spinning Bo staff doesn't whack me. "Do you mind if I try?" I ask, putting on my best puppy-dog face so that he can't resist. I think it is working, because he looks amused.

Handing me the Bo staff, he says, "Sure, Kimmy, let's see what you've got." I give him a smile, and he watches as I start to spin it around. I'm not the best at handling a Bo staff, since it's really Jack's specialty, but I try to do what he was doing anyway, switching it from my right hand to my left and then swinging it full force out to the side; I realize too late that Jack is standing right there.

The staff hits him hard in his chest, and I swear that I hear something crack as it makes contact. Jack grunts in pain and surprise, and he falls to his side down on the mat, gingerly holding his chest and struggling to breathe. I kneel down next to him as the guys stop doing whatever it was they were doing and come over too. "Jack, I'm so sorry, are you okay!?" I say, mortified with myself and concerned for my boyfriend.

For a second he doesn't do anything, his eyes wide with shock and pain, but he manages to shake his head "no." Rudy, apparently hearing the commotion, comes out of his office looking curious. When he sees us all keeling down next to Jack, his curious look changes to one of concern and he quickly walks over. "What happened?!" he asks worriedly.

"I accidentally hit him with a Bo staff," I admit, trying to hold back the tears slowly coming to my eyes.

"Jack, are you okay?" he asks Jack, who still seems to be struggling to get his breath.

"No, it- it really hurts, especially wh –when I try to breathe or talk," Jack chokes out, looking like he's trying to hold back tears of his own. Rudy's look of worry increases, and he tells us to wait with Jack while he goes into his office and calls an ambulance. He comes back a minute later, assuring us that the paramedics will be here soon.

I don't really listen, though; I'm too concerned about Jack. I put my hand on his shoulder and try to comfort him, but I need comforting myself. I am vaguely aware of Jerry coming back into the dojo at some point. "Jack, I'm so, so sorry," I say He doesn't say anything back, though; I wonder if he even heard me. Seconds later, to my relief, I hear sirens, and an ambulance and two police cars pull up in front of the dojo, drawing a crowd of curious shoppers over to see what is happening.

The police keep the people back while two paramedics rush in with medical equipment and a gurney. One tells us to back up while the other does a quick examination on Jack. Then, the two men count to three and carefully lift Jack up onto the gurney, but even being gentle doesn't stop Jack from crying out in pain. He goes limp, and when I look at him lying there, unconscious, being wheeled away into the waiting ambulance, I finally lose it and burst into tears.

I had caused all of this; I had caused his pain; it's my entire fault! I sob harder, hating myself for injuring Jack and also for making myself look weak in front of my friends. Jerry comes over and wraps me in a hug, trying his best to comfort me. I cry into his chest as he rubs my back soothingly, and Rudy puts a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Kim, Jack's going to be fine, alright?" he says. "Now, come on, I'll drive us all to the hospital."

Pulling myself together, I walk with Rudy and the guys out to Rudy's car, allowing Jerry to have his arm around my shoulders; I thought it was really sweet of him.

Seconds later, we all climb into Rudy's car and strap up; he drives as fast as he can without going over the speed limit too much; we wouldn't want to be pulled over. After about a ten-minute drive, we finally arrive at Seaford Hospital. Hopping out of the car, we all hurry inside and up to the front desk. The lobby is all decorated for Christmas, since it's just five days away, but I don't pay much attention to it.

"Jack Brewer," I say when we all get to the front desk. "Can we see him?"

The receptionist checks over her clipboard and says, "Ah, Jack Brewer; he's in room 236. Let me check with his doctor to make sure he's all set to have visitors," she says cheerily; I nod and wait for her to come back. Minutes later, she comes back with a smile on her face. "Okay, go right ahead, dears! His room is down that hallway over there, take a right, and his room will be the fifth door on the left.

"Thank you!" I yell over my shoulder as I walk quickly down the hallway, the guys close behind me. The door is closed when we get there, so I knock. "Come in," a male voice I don't recognize says. I open the door and see a doctor standing at the edge of the bed, and Jack laying there talking to him. He didn't appear to be in as much pain now, but I could tell he was still in discomfort by looking in his eyes.

When he sees the guys and me he gives a small smile. "Hey Kimmy, hey guys," he says. I walk over to his bed and kiss him on the lips; I so badly want to hug him, but I can see part of his bandaged chest underneath his hospital gown and decide it's not a good idea.

"Hey, Jack; how are you feeling?" I ask guiltily. He can obviously hear the guilt in my voice, because he tries to comfort me.

"Kimmy, before I say anything, you need to know that it's not your fault and I don't blame you at all, okay?" he says, giving me another smile.

"Alright, Jack; now, how are you?" I look at him expectantly, and so do Jerry, Eddie, Milton and Rudy.

"Well, I'm still in a little bit of pain, but it's not that bad since they gave me some medicine. It'll take a while to heal, though; I have three broken ribs and my chest is bruised up pretty good."

I gasp at this and look to the doctor, hoping for a different answer; he doesn't give me one. Instead, he says, "Jack will be okay, young lady, don't you worry; he'll just experience some discomfort for a while. I don't want him doing karate for a few weeks, either."

I can see Jack is not happy about this, but, being Jack, he doesn't complain, trying to be strong for the guys and me. "Jack, why don't you have one of them call your guardian? I will allow you to leave as soon as he or she signs you out, and I talk to them about your pain medications," the doctor says to Jack, and then leaves.

I call my mom, and fifteen minutes later she arrives and comes into the room. "Oh Jack, honey I', so sorry! Don't worry, I'll keep you nice and comfortable until your better!" my mom says. I can't help but crack a smile as she babies him. The doctor comes back in with the release forms, and my mom introduces herself. The doctor just frowns, though.

"I'm afraid we have a Mrs. Samantha Brewer down as Jack's legal guardian, Mrs. Crawford," he says. Now it's all of our turns to frown.

"What are you saying, doctor?" Jack asks.

"I'm saying that your mother will be the keeper of all of your medication, so if you're not already staying with her you'll have to, and she has to come and sign you out."

**Author's Note: Oh, snap! So, Jack has to stay with his mother now! How will this turn out? Review!**


	8. Fighting Words

**Author's Note: Okay, so I have apparently gotten myself into a shout out war with shiqi98, don't ask me how! Lol. So, go check out her stories! I shall win this, shiqi98! Anyways, enjoy chapter 8 of my sequel to Abandoned.**

_**VERY IMPORTANT:**_** I am changing the name of this story to "We are Family" I figured I should tell you guys so you don't get confused! **

**Jack's POV**

You have got to be kidding me. First I get 3 broken ribs and a bruised chest, and now I have to stay with my mom?! This can't be happening. I'm already having a hard enough time coping and trying to make a decision on what to do without being around her; what will happen if I'm living with her? "Jack, are you okay?" I hear Kim ask me, but I ignore her, too frustrated, worried, and emotionally confused to respond to anyone. "Jack?"

Kim puts her hand on my shoulder, but still ignore her. "Jack, it'll be okay," she says reassuringly, putting a hand on my shoulder. I turn over onto my side, facing the wall and away from my friends. I know that it's being really rude, since Kim is only trying to be nice and help me, but I'm really not in a talking mood right now. After a minute, I feel her remove her hand from my shoulder. "Kim, honey, why don't you take your friends to the cafeteria to get something to eat while Rudy and I stay here with Jack?" I hear Mrs. Crawford say.

"I guess so," Kim says reluctantly, sounding sad; it made me feel bad for ignoring her, and I considered apologizing, but I could already hear four sets of footsteps leaving the room, and then the door closing. Rudy and Mrs. Crawford confer quietly for a moment, and then I feel the bed shift as Mrs. Crawford sits down next to me.

"Jack, sweetie, I know that you're not happy about this, but we can't change it; the doctor's already gone to call your mother."

Wow, that made me feel a _lot _better; she's not done, though.

"But – you are always welcome to come over to our house whenever you need to be away from her, so that you only need to see her when you need your medicine and when you have to go sleep there at night."

"Yeah, Jack, and you're always welcome to come hang out at the dojo; I know that you can't do karate for a little while, but we can just sit and talk and keep each other company. How's that sound, Jack?"

"Okay," I mumble, but I still don't turn around to face them; even though I can't see them, I can tell that they are exchanging worried glances by the silence that follows. The bed shifts again as Mrs. Crawford gets up. She gives me a pat on the shoulder, and then I hear her and Rudy leaving the room. The door closes again, only to be opened seconds later. I know before she even says anything that it's Kim.

"Jack, can you please talk to me?" I don't answer.

"Jack, come on, please? I know you're upset, but sulking over it won't get you anywhere. I'm your best friend and your girlfriend, Jack, please talk to me."

I hesitate for a brief moment, but I decide to turn onto my other side and face her. She gives me a small smile, but I don't return it, and hers disappears. Giving me a sad look, she cups my cheek in her hand and then leans down and kisses me; I kiss back passionately. "Jack, just know that whatever happens, you can always come to me for help, okay?" she asks; I nod my head "yes."

She smiles. "Alright, good." She looks like she is about to say more, but just then, of all of the people that could come into the room, my mom enters, looking worried. She makes her way over to my bed and sits next to me, causing Kim to have to move if she didn't want to be sat on; she glares at the woman, and looks like she will say something, but I silently plead her with my eyes not too. She gets the message, and even though she really wants to tell my mom off, she keeps quiet.

"Jack, honey, are you okay!?" my mom asks me frantically, leaning down and hugging me tightly. It hurts my chest, and I wince against my will, seeing black spots appear in my vision for a moment. Kim steps in now, pulling my mom off of me. "You're hurting him!" she says angrily, glaring even harder at my mom now and looking like she seriously wants to just punch her in the face.

"You know, you've got a lot of nerve, just coming back here and trying to push your way back into Jack's life after what you put him through!" she screams at her, finally saying what has been on her mind probably ever since she we found out that she was back. My mom flinched back from her at first, looking shocked; Kim had never raised her voice to her before. My mom quickly recovered, though. "Kimberly May Crawford, don't you dare take that tone with me young lady! I am an adult, and you have no right to tell me what to do or speak for my son about how he feels!" she yells back at Kim.

Even more furious now that she had used her full name, Kim really explodes now. "No right!? I have no right?! You freakin' left him! You can barely even consider yourself a mother, at least not a very good one, and I have every right to speak for him! I will do whatever I need too to defend him because I am his best friend and his girlfriend, and I understand him better then you ever can or will!"

My mom doesn't respond, instead she just seems shocked again, possibly even upset; maybe she was realizing that what Kim said was true. "I'm going to go sign the release forms and talk to the doctor about your medication, Jack," she says meekly, getting up and walking out of the room; she averts her gaze from Kim, who stares after her with fire in her eyes.

When she is gone, I stare at Kim in shock, my mouth slightly open; I couldn't believe she had done that. I knew that she had a slight temper, but I had never seen her so angry before in the three years I had known her. Kim notices me staring at her and her anger dies down a little bit, her eyes softening. "I'm sorry about that, Jack, I lost my temper; I meant everything I said though, Jack, and I hope you understand why' it's because I love and care for you so much.

I nod, still in shock a little, and then the tears come and start falling down my face; I didn't know what to do about my mom, and no matter what Kimmy was going to hate her guts forever; this was going to be a very interesting, hard, and unpredictable Christmas.

**Author's Note: Hope this chapter had some good action in it for all of my readers, and I hope that you all enjoyed it! Next chapter should be up tomorrow! Review! **


	9. How He Feels

**Author's Note: Sorry that I didn't update yesterday! I had stuff going on! Oh, and I got two reviews asking for more Kick; one specifically wanted more kissing, so I will try my best!**

**IMPORTANT: I forgot to give credit to AbberzZzCain yesterday for an idea in my story. She suggested I make Kim too upset to talk to the guys for a while because of what she did to Jack. Instead, I made Jack mad and upset and not really willing to talk to them, but credit goes to her! I'm probably still going to continue using that a little!**

**Kim's POV**

I was a little surprised at myself for yelling at Mrs. Brewer like that, since I have never done anything like that before, even to my own mother. It was something I felt like I had to do, though. I apologized to Jack once I saw his shocked face, but I also made it clear that I meant every word that I said; that was when he started crying. I was shocked myself, now. It was so unlike Jack to cry, and this was the second time I had seen him cry this week.

I stand there for a second, not sure what to do since I'm not really used to having to comfort him. Then, hesitantly, I ask, "Jack, are you okay?" while I go over and sit on his bed, wrapping my arms around him in a hug but being careful not to hurt his already injured chest. "Jack?" I try again. He seems to get himself under control a little, only sniffling here and there, but he still doesn't say anything.

I decide to wait until he's ready to talk. A few minutes later, he finally speaks up. "Kimmy, I'm so lost. I don't know what to do. I still love her; she's my mom. I'm just finding it so hard to forgive her. Help me," he pleads, and he sounds so scared and helpless that I just want to make him feel better in any way that I can.

"Jack, I can't tell you what to do, because I'm not the one going through this, but I do know that you're Jack Brewer, and Jack Brewer is the strongest, smartest, and most thoughtful guy I know; you'll come up with the decision you're looking for if you dig deep enough."

He looks at me thoughtfully and lovingly, so many emotions coiled up in his normally friendly and confident eyes. Then, he pulls me closer to him, so that I am completely pushed up against his side, and kisses me passionately on the lips. Jack and I have been dating for a few months now, but every time our lips pushed together, it still set butterflies loose in my stomach and fireworks booming in my head. I rub my hands up and down his back, trying to make him feel safe and loved, since I knew he was having such a hard time coping with everything right now.

We pull apart about a minute or two later when we hear some say "Eh hem" from the doorway. I whip my head around so fast that it actually hurts, ready to glare daggers at Jack's mother, but it was just the doctor, and my looks of hate softens back into a more passive expression.

"May I interrupt?" he asks, looking from me to Jack with an almost amused looks on his face.

Blushing slightly, I say, "Of course, what is it?" He writes something on his clipboard, taking his time before answering.

After about a minute of an impatient silence from me, he finally says, "Jack, you're free to go. Your mother has all of your medication and is waiting for you in her car. She has requested for you to meet her there, and from there you will head home. Remember, no karate for four weeks, and try to stay rested and relaxed, maybe just stay at home; you might find a side affect of the medicine to be tiredness."

He hands Jack the piece of paper he had been writing on and then leaves the room. I slide off of the bed, and Jack slowly slides out after me; he avoids my gaze, obviously feeling awkward standing in front of me in a hospital gown. I can't help but smile a little at this; even feeling the way he was, he still had some of his same, cute little qualities. "Do you need me to get out so you can change?" I ask. He nods his head "yes," and I head out, closing the door behind me.

I hear a little bit of wincing every few seconds as he probably struggles to get his shirt on over his injured chest, and I can't help but feel a pang of guilt every time I hear it, knowing that I caused his pain.

A few minutes later, he comes out, fully clothed in a red checkered button down shirt with long sleeves that he rolled up, black skinny jeans, and grey Vans sneakers, the ones I liked to call his "skater shoes."

I smile at him, and he smiles back slightly, although it's not the sweet, cocky, friendly smile he normally would give me; it's more tired, hollow, scared even, and it breaks my heart. I walk him to his car, neither of us saying a word. He gets in the passenger seat next to his mother, looking anywhere but at her, even as she tries to make eye contact with her. For a brief second her glance falls on me, and I stare back at her, conveying all of my hate, anger, and mistrust at her into it. The woman who I had once loved like a second mother meant nothing to me now, and I only tolerated her being here for the time being because Jack was so unsure of what he wanted still.

He gives me the same sad smile as the car pulls away from me, and I can't help but feel sorry for him once again, wishing I had gone with him, but having some alone time with her was crucial for him to be able to decide what to do, even if he wasn't exactly thrilled about it. I had faith in him to do what he thought was best, though, and I would see him tomorrow. I just hoped I would have the old Jack back soon.

**Author's Note: Please review, guys! I love them! What do you think? I won't know unless you tell me! Please? **


	10. Trying

**Author's Note: Shout out to shiqi98! Go read her story! I'm in a shout out war with her and I will win! Also, happy birthday to her! Now, read on if you want to know what happens in chapter 10 of "We Are Family."**

**Jack's POV**

I watched Kim disappear in the side mirror of my mom's car as she drove me away from the hospital. I didn't know what to say, and evidently neither did she, so we just sat there in awkward silence for a while. I caught her looking at me a few times out of the corner of her eye, since she was driving, but any time she saw me looking back she would take her attention off of me.

Finally, she decides to speak up. "So, um, do you want to . . . tell me what happened?" she asks. She sounds like she was having a hard time knowing what to say to me, and that was the best she could come up with. Should I tell her? Would it just make her have a grudge against Kim? Well, I guess it didn't matter, since Kim hated her anyway, but still . . .

"I, um, got hit with a Bo staff," I answer just as awkwardly. She nods her head, and silence engulfs the car once again, making me feel really uncomfortable. It looks like she is about to ask another question, but my phone rings, cutting her off. I answer it right away, knowing the ring tone.

"Hey, Jack!" she says from the other line.

"Hey, Skylar."

Skylar was a good friend of mine ever since I met her last year and helped her to rescue her father, even though in the end we had needed rescuing from Rudy, Jerry, and Milton. She had joined the dojo after what happened, but soon after, she moved away to Florida with her dad.

"I heard what happened, Jack; how are you dealing?" she asks, sounding concerned.

"I'm doing okay, I guess. I'm in the car with her right now just leaving the hospital . . . yeah, I got hit with a Bo staff. I have 3 broken ribs and a bruised chest . . . no, I'm okay . . ."

I answered her rapid-fire questions to the best of my ability, and the conversation didn't end until we the car pulled into the driveway of my old house. Hanging up, I open the passenger door and step out, walking up to the front door and waiting there until my mom came over with the key to unlock it.

She fumbles with the key a little bit before she is able to jam it into the lock and open the door. I walk slowly in, looking around; the place had been dusted, and there were some new pictures up on the wall of her, Erin, and James that hadn't been there when I was hear the other day. The thing that surprises me is that there are some old pictures of my mom and me up on the wall too that had never been hung up even last year.

I walk up to one from my fifth birthday party, where I am hugging her after getting my first bike; I smile at the memory. "That was a fun day, huh?" my mom asks, and I turn to see her standing behind me and looking at the picture as well.

I giver her a small smile back. "Yeah." Not knowing what else to say, I am about to just go up to my room and stay there until dinner or something when I hear footsteps from upstairs and then James comes down, holding a crying Erin. He looks surprised to see me.

"Hey, Jack, what are you doing here?" he asks, bouncing Erin up and down.

"I, um, have to stay here for a few days. I kind of have a few broken ribs and . . ."

"Oh, that's not pleasant; I broke a few ribs when I was a little younger than you after falling out of a tree; what happened?" He has to raise his voice over the screaming baby girl in his arms.

"I got hit with a Bo staff . . . here, do you mind if I try?" I ask, holding my arms out. He hands me my little sister and I rock her back and forth a bit in my arms; she stops crying almost immediately. It hurts my chest a little, but I ignore it. James and my mom both smile at me, and I can't help but feel a little proud of myself, which is a first since normally I only get proud over karate achievements and such.

"Well, that's two people who can quiet her down quicker than me," James says with a laugh, referring to Kim and me.

"I guess I'm just a natural," I say with a smirk. "Is it okay if I take her upstairs?"

"Sure, I think that'd be fine," James says. I smile and carefully head upstairs with my baby sister in my arms.

**Mrs. Brewer's POV**

I smile at Jack as he holds Erin in his arms; it's so sweet. I sigh inwardly to myself as I watch him take her upstairs, being so careful; I've missed him so much, and I almost wish that I had stayed and been a part of his life for the past year, but then I wouldn't have James and Erin. As soon as I hear the door to Jack's room close, I slug my husband in the arm and glare at him.

"Ow! What was that for?" he asks, rubbing his arm.

"I was trying to have a moment with Jack and you interrupted it!" I say, upset.

"Well, sweetie, I'm sorry, but you know that you brought this on yourself; I am grateful in a way that you left, because I married you and we have a beautiful baby girl together, but at the same time, I understand where Jackson's anger and confusion is coming from. You're his mother, and you just left him alone without any warning."

I let a single tear escape from my eye and sigh. My voice trembling slightly, I respond, "I know."

I couldn't blame Jack for acting the way he is toward me; I think a part of me knew when I came back that there was no way he could just simply forgive me right away and things could go back to the way they were before, with the addition of James and Erin. I just hoped that it could have been that way, and it gave me false belief. I just hoped that there was some way I could gain Jack's trust once again.

**Author's Note: How did you like it? Was it a good idea to give Jack's mom a POV? Review and tell me! **


	11. Pushing Buttons

**Author's Note: Okay, so I got a guest review saying that Jack should still be furious with his mother still and that I shouldn't even have the little moments between them yet because he should still be angry; I'm going to try and make him a little angry in this chapter, but I'm trying to focus more on him being unsure and confused. Thank you so much for the feedback though, whoever you are! **

_**IMPORTANT:**_** Also, you've heard of my shout-out war with shiqi98? Well, vote on who is winning on a poll on my profile! Of course, you would have to check out her author's notes and possibly her profile to see her shout-outs, and while you're doing that, you might as well read her amazing Kickin' It story . . . Go do it! Read on! **

**Jack's POV**

I smile at my little sister as she sits on my lap, playing with some baby toy I got from her crib; at least one good thing came out of my mom leaving, two if I count James since I was starting to like him. My time with her is interrupted by a knock on my bedroom door. "Come in," I say, not really meaning it since I assume it is my mother. That's why I am happy to see that it is James instead. "What's up?" I ask.

He smiles at the sight of me and Erin momentarily, and then says, "Your mom asked me to give you your medicine; she wasn't sure how happy you'd be to see her." That surprises me a little; all she had wanted to do before was spend time with me. Did she finally understand the confusion, pain, awkwardness, and anger she had caused me and decided to give me a little space? Is that what I wanted?

Yes, I guess I did want a little space from her, which is why I decided to come up here and spend some time with Erin to take my mind off of things for a little while and to just kind of bond with her. "Jack?"

I realized that I had kind of spaced out a little bit, so I bring myself back and take the pill and glass of water from James's hands. "Are you okay?" he asks, raising an eyebrow at me.

I figured that there was a chance he would tell my mom if I said anything about her, so just to be safe, I say, "Um, yeah, I'm fine." I know that it sounded very unconvincing, but I wasn't about to confess my feelings to him. Just as I thought, he looks unconvinced, but he doesn't question me. Erin starts to get fussy, though, so he takes her to give her a bottle, and I am left alone in my room. I want to call Kim, but the medication soon kicks in and leaves me drowsy, so I decide to lie down and close my eyes for a little while . . .

(**Dream Flashback to a Year Ago) **

"_Kim, my mom left me. She left a note and she's gone." I put my head back down in my arms and hear her gasp. She tries to get me to keep talking, but I ignore her . . ._

_FLASH!_

_I am running and running, away from the dojo and my concerned friends. They didn't understand; no one did, and no one ever would. I run until I can't anymore, and then sit down, leaning against a tree, and fall asleep, tears staining my cheeks . . ._

_FLASH!_

"_Is it a family issue? If it is, things are never a bad as they seem; your family will always love you," Skylar says. _

"_Yeah, I guess that's why my mom left me." She gasps. Lots of feelings rush through me: anger, sadness, fear, hurt, emptiness, loneliness . . ._

_FLASH!_

I wake up suddenly, bolting upright. I rub the sleep from my eyes, and I am surprised to feel wetness on my cheeks; I had been crying in my sleep. Sighing, I look at the clock on my nightstand, and it says 7:30 P.M. I had fallen asleep at around 2:00, and was shocked that I had slept for 5 and a half hours, even after taking the medicine. I groan in frustration when I remember that I was supposed to meet Kim for a date 30 minutes ago, and checking my cell phone I see that I have 2 missed calls from her.

I jump out of bed, and just my luck, I trip over a section of my rug that had gotten flipped up and fall to the floor with a loud thud. I cry out as I land full-force on my chest. I hear footsteps quickly climbing the stairs, and my mom comes in just as I am getting up off of the floor.

"Jack, honey, are you okay?" she asks, visually looking me over for any new injuries. She sounds genuinely worried about me, and it's almost like old times, like nothing had ever happened, but then I remember my dream, with all of the painful memories and all of the feelings that had flood through me during it, and I crash back into the reality of the situation, feeling hurt and really angry once again.

I grumble out, "No," and push past her out of the room, walk downstairs, and out of the front door, slamming it behind me. My mother's hurt and confused face stayed imprinted in my mind, but for once, I didn't feel guilty; she had made me feel much worse than I was making her feel. Before I know it, I am at mine and Kim's special spot, the one in the woods where we can see the ocean (**A/N remember they were in this spot toward the end of "Abandoned"). **I don't see Kim, and I am starting to think that she has already left when a stick crashes down from above, narrowly missing me. It was falling was too much force not to have been thrown, so I look up and see Kim smirking down at me, sitting on one of the thick tree branches we liked to sit on.

"You're late, Jack," she says, but she doesn't look angry or annoyed, but instead compassionate and slightly worried. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just fell asleep; sorry," I say, climbing up slowly, feeling a slight soreness in my chest.

"Be careful, I don't want you to hurt yourself," she says. I make it up the tree uninjured and sit down next to the beautiful blonde. I lean in to kiss her, but she gently pushes me back. I look at her, confused and slightly hurt that she didn't want to kiss me. I raise my eyebrow at her, asking her with my expression why she pushed me away.

"What happened, Jack? What's wrong?" she asks me.

"What do you mean?" I ask her, but I think I already know.

"Jack, don't play dumb; I can see it in your eyes that you're upset, you're angry . . . you're lots of things. Now, what happened?"

I sigh. "I had a dream about some of the stuff that happened last year, Kimmy, it's no big deal."

"If you're upset over it, then it is a big deal. I'm tired of seeing you like this, Jack."

"Kimmy, you think I want to feel like this? I don't like it either, but how would you feel in this situation? What would you do?" She seems to consider my questions.

"I guess I would feel the same way you're feeling," she admits.

"I want to forgive her, Kim, I really do, but at the same time, I'm just so mad at her for what she did, and I'm really not sure if I will ever be able to trust her again. I wish I could take some of this out on a punching dummy, I couldn't keep it up while I'm injured, and plus the doctor said no karate for 4 weeks . . ."

**No POV**

The conversation went on like that for a while. Little did Jack and Kim know that one of them had accidentally sat on the buttons of their phone; one of them had dialed someone's phone number. That phone number had happened to be Frank's, and the Black Dragons were listening intently to each word, a plan forming in their heads . . .

**Author's Note: I'm spicing this story up a little bit! What are the Black Dragons planning? Guess you'll have to tune in to the next chapter to find out. I'll tell you guys in advance, I have a dance at my school tomorrow, so I can't promise an update, but I will try! Review!**


	12. Flames

**Author's Note: Sorry that I was not able to update yesterday, but I told you I had the dance at my school, so if you read my author's notes you would know! For all of you who said that they hoped I had fun, thank you! I did have fun! Okay, anyways, here is chapter 12! Read and review! Oh, and check out shiqi98's story and vote on my profile on who is winning our little shout-out war! **

**Kim's POV**

"Jack, we should both get home; it's already 10:30, and my curfew is 11:00," I say to Jack, who I am currently snuggled up against on the tree branch as we look out over the ocean; well, at least what we could see of it in the dark. There was a little bit of moonlight illuminating the night, so it wasn't pitch black out tonight. Sighing, Jack listens to me and sits up straight, and then starts climbing down from the tree; I follow right after him.

_Beep Beep Beep!_

"Kim, what is that?" Jack asks.

"Um, I think it's my cell phone." I reach into my back pocket and pull out my cell phone; it was beeping to tell me that my call got disconnected. Had I accidentally called someone?

"Why is it beeping?" he asks.

"It says 'call disconnected;' I think I butt dialed someone, but I don't recognize the number. Whoever it was never hung up though, so why don't we call back and see who the snooping jerk is!?" I say angrily. I see Jack smile in the faint moonlight, but he doesn't say anything, which I take as him saying 'Go ahead.'

I dial the number, and a male voice answers. It sounds very familiar, but it sounds slightly muffled over the phone and I can't place it. I cut right to the chase: "Okay, listen! I know that I accidentally called you, and I also know that you were eavesdropping, since you never hung up! Now, who is this and what is your problem?!"

There is silence for a few seconds, and I hear murmuring in the background, meaning this person wasn't alone. Finally, the guy responds nervously, "Um, I think you have the wrong number! Have a nice day!" Then he hangs up.

There is silence between Jack and I for a split second, and then Jack bursts out laughing. "Sounds like you scared him off, Kimmy!" he says, trying to catch his breath. He finally stops when it looks like he is in pain a little bit. I look at him, confused.

"You don't care that they probably heard our whole conversation?"

"Aw, Kimmy, it was probably just some stupid teenage guys trying to have a good time; we didn't really say anything important anyways," he says nonchalantly.

"I guess you're right," I say, and don't give it a second thought after that. Something felt a little wrong about it, but I still pushed it out of my mind. If Jack was okay with it, I could be okay with it, too. I go to put my iPhone back into sleep mode when I notice the time now: It's 10:45, my curfew is at 11:00, and it will take a little while to walk back to my house, especially in the dark . . .

"Jack, come on, we have to go!" I say, grabbing his arm and pulling him. He doesn't budge right away, but after a brief hesitation, he allows himself to be dragged along behind me. I knew he had hesitated because he didn't want to go back home and face his mom, but if we didn't leave now and I broke my curfew, I would be grounded; if I wasn't allowed out of the house, then I wouldn't be able to help Jack with this entire thing.

Since I felt bad about him having to go back with all of this going on, I purposely walked slower, stalling the inevitable just for a little longer. At the pace we end up going, Jack and I don't get to my house until 10:58. He walks me onto my porch and kisses me, the butterflies and fireworks coming right back just like they always do. I feel him starting to pull away and, wanting the moment to last for a little longer, I put my arms around his neck and pull him forward a little. He gets the message, and, putting his hands on my waist, he kisses me harder.

I reluctantly pull back a few seconds later, knowing that I had to get inside. "Goodnight, Jack; I love you," I say sincerely.

"I love you too, Kimmy; goodnight."

With that said, he walks off into the night, heading back toward his house; I head inside, and the clock in the hallway hits 11:00 as soon as I get inside and close the door. My mom comes out of the kitchen and looks at me with a smirk on her face. "Nice timing, Kim," she says, looking amused. I can't help but laugh a little.

"It's a gift," I say as I run upstairs. I go into my room as soon as I get up there and change into blue pajama pants and green tank top, and then climb into bed, tired. My thoughts wander to Jack as I close my eyes, and the last thing that pops into my mind before I fall asleep is that something is going to happen tomorrow . . . .

**TOMORROW **

**Still Kim's POV**

I wake up the next morning to my cell phone singing "Boyfriend" by Big Time Rush. I smile; that's Jack's ringtone. I sit up and rub the sleep from my eyes, looking at the clock as I do so; it's already 10:45 in the morning. I don't normally sleep for this long.

Pushing that thought aside, I reach for my phone, which is still ringing on my nightstand. "Good morning, Kimmy!" Jack says brightly.

I smile. "Good morning, Jack! How did it go when you got home last night?" I ask.

"Well, my mom looked happy that I was home unharmed, but she decided to keep her distance since I was kind of angry at her when I left the house and she wanted to give me some space," he says, some of the enthusiasm gone from his voice; I feel kind of bad for bringing it up when he was happy, so I decide to try and take his mind off of things, and I know the perfect way to do that when I hear Erin cooing in the background.

"Are you with Erin?" I ask, knowing that his little sister makes him happy. I can picture the smile on his face when he responds.

"Yeah, I'm holding her. She got a little fussy so I've been playing with her for a little while my . . . mom . . . does some gardening outside." He falters over the word "mom,' but other than that he sounds very happy to talk about Erin.

"Anyways, Kimmy, I wanted to know if –" he is stops mid-sentence when there is a loud crashing sound in the background; it sounded like wood splintering, and then I heard what sounded like glass breaking. I'm a little concerned which I think is pretty understandable.

"Jack, what is that?" I ask him, worry reflected in my voice. It takes a second for him to respond, and I think I hear someone laughing, but it didn't sound like Jack.

"Um, it's nothing Kim . . ." He says, sounding like he is trying hard to stay calm. I am about to make him tell me the truth when I suddenly hear a very loud, rapid, annoying beeping sound.

"Kimmy, I have to go! I love you!" he says, this time panic evident in his voice. There is a clicking noise as he hangs up, leaving me with the phone still pushed up against my ear and my mouth hanging slightly open. It takes a few seconds before it finally connects in my brain that Jack is in some kind of trouble. As fast as I can, I leap out of bed, quickly slip on a blue strapless dress from my closet (since it's quicker than jeans and a shirt), slip on my black converse, and am out the door in less than a minute, traveling as fast as I can over to Jack's house.

Five minutes later, I get there, and the sight that I am greeted with sends my heart racing and an even greater fear setting in: Three fire engines are parked outside of Jack's house, desperately trying to put out the fire that is quickly engulfing his entire house.

**Author's Note: Oohh, a cliffy! Sorry! I know that everyone hates them! The next chapter will be up tomorrow! Please review! **


	13. Had It Out For Him

**Author's Note: I know that I left you all on a cliffhanger, so I will only say two things: The first is please review! The second is please go read/review shiqi98's story! I am in a shout-out war with her! If you want to vote on who is winning, there is a poll set up on both her profile and mine! Thanks!**

**Kim's POV**

At first, I am too shocked to do anything but stare as my boyfriend's house slowly burned, heat dancing over my body. When a part of the roof collapses into the house, very close to where I know Jack's bedroom is. I rush forward, finally freaking out. My only thought is of making sure that Jack and his little sister are okay; I knew that James and his mother weren't in the house, which was good because even though I hated his mom's guts I didn't want her to die . . .

"Hey, someone stop her!" I hear a male voice yell out to no one in particular as I run up to Jack's house. I get to the doorway and am about to go in when I feel a strong pair of arms grab a hold of me and pull me backwards. Furious and scared for Jack and Erin, I struggle to get free, but it's no use and I feel myself being tugged backwards and sat down on the back of one of the ambulances, since the back doors were open.

When the arms hesitantly let go, I look up into the face of a policeman. I feel some tears stinging my eyes, and against my will they fall down my cheeks in a rush. "Did Jack and the baby get out?" I ask in a choked-up, shaking voice. "Please, tell me they are okay!" I sob.

"Sweetie, their mother already told us that they were in there and the firefighters inside are doing the absolute best they can to locate them," he says, looking at me with sympathy.

"Where is his mother?" I ask, feeling like I needed to talk to her and that she could give me more answers as to what the heck had happened.

"She was already taken to the hospital, sweetie. She took a pretty nasty blow to the head trying to stop the intruders who caused this from getting into the house and-"

I cut the man off. "Intruders?! Do you know who they were?" I ask, trying to focus on that instead of the burning house and the whereabouts of Jack and Erin, since that would just send me into complete hysterics.

"Not as of yet, but Mrs. Anderson described the one who appeared to be the leader as a teenager around 19 years of age, with dirty blonde curly hair and brown eyes-"

"Frank!" I say angrily, more tears escaping my eyes when I realize it was Frank and his idiot Black Dragon friends who had caused this. My thoughts wandered back to yesterday night, when we had been talking and Jack had clearly stated that he couldn't even keep up a fight with a punching dummy, and anyways he couldn't do karate for four weeks because of his injuries, and at that moment I also knew that it was Frank who I had accidentally called; that was why I had recognized the voice! When I got my hands on him he was so dead . . . .

"You recognize the description of him, ma'am? You say his name is Frank?"

"Yes, Frank Stevens," I sob. I don't think I've ever felt this sad and angry at the same time before. I am about to elaborate more on Frank when I hear a loud cracking sound. I turn my head toward Jack's burning house and see the firefighters who had been inside running out, the last one exiting just as the entire thing crumbles down with a loud booming sound.

"No!" I scream, because none of them had come out with Jack or Erin. I hop down off of the back of the ambulance and run up to the nearest escaped firefighter before the cop can stop me.

"There were people in there! A teenage boy and a baby! You have to look for them! Please, where are they?!" I say, panicked. The man puts his hands on my shoulders and looks me in the eyes; they look sad, yet hopeful, and I wasn't sure whether it was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Sweetie," he begins, just as the officer had.

"It's Kim," I interrupt, and then quietly wait for him to continue.

"Okay. Listen, Kim: Believe me when I say that my colleagues and I searched the entire house for Jack and his sister; they were not in there, and that I promise you. I'm not sure how, but somehow Jack managed to get both him and that little girl out of there. All there is left to do is have the police commence in a search party for the two in the woods behind the house, as that is the most probable route he would have taken to escape, okay?"

I take a deep breath, calming myself down a little bit, and then answer, "Okay." The man smiles at me and then walks off to talk to the officer that had just been talking to me. I smile, even though it is just slightly; Jack would manage to get out of a burning house WITH his little sister. I just hope that they are unharmed wherever they are. I move to go talk to the officer again to see how the status of getting a search mission is getting along when he approaches me.

"Hi, Kim; do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"

"I guess so," I say, even though I am just anxious to go look for my boyfriend and Erin. I know that this is necessary to help them to get Frank and his Black Dragon goons locked up behind bars for what they did, though.

The officer smiles at me, and then says, "Thanks. Okay, so first off, tell me about this Frank character; you're positive that he was the leader of this?" he asks.

"Yes, I'm positive; he fits the description you gave me perfectly. He also has had it out for Jack since the first day that he moved here, 3 years ago," I say, smiling slightly at the memory of Jack beating up Frank and his friends on his first day at school in the 7th grade, the day we first met and I knew that I had a crush on him even though I refused to admit it . . .

"Why exactly has he had it out for Jack?"

"Well, on his first day at school here 3 years ago, Jack made Frank angry and he came at him, attempting to punch him. Jack caught it, and he managed to take down both Frank and his friends. Frank never forgave him, and has had it out for Jack ever since; it didn't help when I joined the Bobby Wasabi Dojo and made him so angry. Ever since that, Frank and the Black Dragons have always tried to find ways to mess with us Warriors, but I never thought it would go this far."

"Wait, Black Dragons? Warriors? What exactly are you getting at, Kim?"

"Oh, well you see, the Black Dragons and the Bobby Wasabi are dojos in the strip mall here, and Jack, me, and our friends Eddie, Milton, and Jerry are a part of the Bobby Wasabi Dojo; we call ourselves the Wasabi Warriors, and the Black Dragons absolutely hate us."

The man seems to catch on.

"Oh, so from what I am understanding, you left the Black Dragons to join the Bobby Wasabi Dojo, which made this Frank character and his friends even more angry at Jack, you, and your friends? Is that correct?"

"Yes, it's correct; they all hate us, especially Frank and Sensei Ty. I just never thought that Frank would do something like this."

"Okay, thank you very much, Kim; this helps a lot in us understanding Franks' motives behind this. Now, I know that you are concerned about you're boyfriend and his sister so-"

"Wait, I never said he was my boyfriend; how did you know?" I ask.

He smiles. "I can tell by the way you talk about him. Now, as I was saying, I know you are concerned about him and his sister, so how about you join some of the officers in the search? I think they would appreciate your help since you know more about what they looks like and where he might have gone; you know them, and we don't. The stepfather has just arrived from work and will be joining as well."

I nod, and walk over to where I see James standing with some police officers; we would find Jack and Erin.

**Author's Note: Okay, sorry that I didn't talk about the condition of Jack and Erin in this chapter! I know that you all want to know what has happened to them, and I know that coolgirl45 suggested more kick, Erin, and Mrs. Brewer, so I'm really going to try in either the next chapter or the one after that! Please review, check out shiqi98's story, and vote on who is winning our shout-out war! Thanks, and then next chapter will be up tomorrow! **


	14. Lost

**Author's Note: Hey to all of my readers who actually take the time to look at my author's notes! Thanks for that! Lol so anyway, I'll say what I normally say: Please review, check out shiqi98's AMAZING Kickin' It story, and PLEASE VOTE on who is winning our shout-out war! There is a poll set up on her profile and mine! Thank you and on to the story! **

**Kim's POV**

As soon as I get over to where James is, he sees me and gives me a small smile, even though there are tear tracks on his face and he is far from happy. He wraps me in a hug, and although I am a little surprised at first, I hug him back; I'm upset, he's upset, so why not? "Hey, Kim sweetie, are you okay?" he asks after pulling away.

Swiping at the tears stains on my cheeks in an attempt to wipe them away, I say, "Yeah, I guess so; are you?"

Giving me a sad smile, he says, "I've been better."

That was pretty much the extent of our conversation, because some of the officers came up to us and said that they were ready to start the search; there were 2 different groups heading into the woods, so I went with one and he went with the other so there was someone in both groups who knew what Jack and Erin looked like. James's group heads left and the one I am in turns right, looking for any sign of Jack and little Erin; there wasn't any. It begins to get dark out soon, and I am getting more and more frustrated.

After about 10 more minutes, I decide that it would be better for me to search alone; I tell the cop nearest to me that I am splitting off from the group and walk away. The guy seems very immersed in whatever he is doing, and I'm not even positive that he heard me, but I'm not very concerned with that right now. I am starting to feel like the search is getting hopeless when I hear what sounds like a cough, but then abrupt silence. I walk in the direction that I heard it, cracking a twig in the process. Then, before I have time to react, a rock flies out of nowhere and hits my shoulder, and then I feel myself being kicked down to the ground.

I let out a slight cry of pain, and then hear, "Wait, Kim?" I'd know the voice anywhere; it's Jack's. One of his strong arms, (he is holding a sleeping Erin in the other) he reaches down and grabs my hand, pulling me up off of the ground. He coughs again, and then says, "Kimmy, I'm so sorry, I thought you were Frank and-"

I cut him off with a kiss to the lips, and even though I get a burnt, ashy taste in my mouth, I don't pull away until he does, coughing for the third time. I look at him in concern. "Jack, I was so worried about you! Are you okay? You sure don't sound like it," I say, crossing my arms. He shushes me and grabs my arm, pulling me behind the bushes he had been hiding behind before I came along.

Once I am sitting down next to him there, he whispers to me, "Kimmy, you have to be quiet; Frank and some of his friends are close by looking for me, and there is no way I can *cough* fight them off." His coughing is starting to worry me, and I'm wondering if he inhaled too much smoke and if it caused any damage to his lungs. He seems to be breathing kind of shakily, and I can hear the slight moans of pain he lets out every time he lets out another cough.

"Why are they looking for you, Jack?" I ask him.

"They thought I wouldn't make it out of the house when they set it on fire – when I did, they were really angry. Frank managed to kick me a few times before I got away into the woods; they've been looking for me since, because every now and then I hear them or catch a glimpse of them, but I've managed to stay out of sight."

"Oh my God, Jack; that's awful. Listen, though: there are two groups of police currently searching for you and Erin; we just have to find them and we're good! Do you have any idea where we are?"

Even in the dark, I can see his expression fall as he looks around and obviously realizes that he has no idea where we are. "Kimmy, I have no clue *cough.* Do you?"

Reluctantly, I admitted that I had no idea where we were either. Putting on a brave face, Jack says that we will have to stay in the woods until morning, and then we can find our way back when it's light out. I point out the flaw to this: "Jack, didn't you say that Frank and the Black Dragons are still looking for you?"

"Yeah, but knowing Frank they'll give up soon and head home," Jack responds; his voice cracks a little, and he coughs again, this time for longer. I see him desperately try to hold it in, and the pain that flickers across his face, even though I can't see much in the almost complete darkness. Jack hands the baby over to me so that he doesn't wake her as the coughing rack his body.

I know that something must be wrong with him, and I know that he needs help. I just hope that he will make it through the night okay.

**Author's Note: I want to apologize – I know that this chapter is very short, and on top of that I feel like I didn't do the best job on it. I struggled a little with this chapter, so please bear with me! Thank you! **


	15. Out of the Woods, Into the Ambulance

**Author's Note: Hey, so I'll apologize for the shortness of the last chapter again! This one will be longer I promise! So, I'll say the usual! Please review, please check out shiqi98's Kickin' it story, and PLEASE VOTE on which one of us is winning our shout-out war! It will end in mid-January at some point, so vote while you can! Happy Christmas Eve to those who celebrate! **

**Kim's POV**

I wake up to sun streaming into my face, and the hard ground underneath me. My head was resting on Jack's chest, and his right arm was wrapped protectively around me in his sleep while in his left he still held Erin. Gently, I remove his arm from around my shoulders and sit up, stretching and yawning. I finally get a good look at Jack now, something I couldn't do in the darkness last night.

There were holes scorched into his shirt everywhere. He had ashes and soot all over him, and I saw quite a few painful looking burn marks on him, some worse than others; he is still breathing just as shakily as he was last night. I do a quick visual check of his sleeping little sister, and I only see one minor burn and a little bit of soot; he had protected her well, and I can't help but smile a little bit. Jack definitely made a great big brother, and Erin may not know it yet, but she was lucky to have him as one.

"Jack, wake up," I say, shaking him but not too hard. He groans in protest but opens his eyes. He blinks hard a few times and squints a little, adjusting to the bright sunlight coming through the tree canopy. He then sits up, jostling Erin a little bit in the process. The baby girl wakes up and gets fussy, starting to cry. Jack flinches a little, not expecting the sudden loud wailing from her, but then quickly works on calming her down. I can see that he is in pain bouncing her around, though, so without asking I scoop her up from his arms and begin to use the same tactic he had been using to quiet her.

With one last little hiccup sob, the little girl quiets down and snuggles into my chest. Jack gives me a fake jealous look, and I stick my tongue out at him. We both laugh, but when his laughing turns into a coughing fit I am quickly reminded of the urgent situation. Taking one hand away from Erin, I pound Jack's back a little, and he stops. "Sorry about that, Kimmy," he says.

"Jack, why the heck are you apologizing? It's not your fault."

"I know, Kimmy. Now, come on, I know where we are," he says, looking happy. He stands up and looks down at me, waiting for me to get up as well. Seconds later, I join him on my feet and I follow him off in a northward direction. After a while of walking, I am starting to doubt that Jack knows where he is going. I am about to say something when I see chimney smoke up ahead, not too far away.

"Jack, is that from your street?" I ask?

"Yeah! Come on, we'll be there soon!" He starts to speed up a little, but I move in front of him and hold him back with my one free hand. He gives me a weird look, but stops and waits for me to explain.

"Jack, before we get there- Jack?" He is looking off into the distance a little, looking like he is spacing out. "Jack," I say again, placing my free hand on his shoulder. He jumps a little, and I look at him with concern.

"Sorry, Kimmy; continue, I'm fine." I really don't think he is fine, but we will be back in the town soon enough and I can get him help then. I feel like I need to prepare him for what he will see when we get back to his house, though, since there is nothing left of it.

"Jack, it's about your house. It's just that, um, well . . . . Jack, it completely burned down. The whole thing collapsed." I cringe a little at the sad look in his eyes, knowing that it must have been awful knowing the place he had lived in for 2 years, and not to mention that all of his belongings were in there when it burned to the ground.

"Are you okay, Jack?" He snaps back into awareness when I say his name, and quickly hides all of his emotions from me, something that he was very good at.

"Yeah, Kim, I'm fine." When he doesn't call me 'Kimmy,' I know that he's crushed; he almost never calls me 'Kim' anymore. Sighing, I put my arm around him and we start walking again, me snuggling up to him the best I can with one arm. Soon enough, the remains of Jack's house come into view, and I feel him tense up. He stops and just looks at all of the scorched rubble. No one seems to notice us standing there at first, but when Jack erupts into another coughing fit, all eyes are on us. No one moves at first, but within a few seconds cops, paramedics, and James swarm us. James takes his daughter from my arms with tears in his eyes, and a man checks her over while others surround Jack and still others form a pack around me, checking me for any injuries from spending the night in the woods.

I try to shrug them off and get to Jack, since I can hear him coughing and wheezing, and it worries me greatly, but they don't budge, and Jack is already being rushed into an ambulance for the second time this week. Why does all of these horrible things happening just days before Christmas? (**A/N Christmas is in 2 days in my story, not tomorrow even though Christmas really is tomorrow.)** After I hear the ambulance scream down the street and watch it disappear, I find the strength to push all of the paramedics away from me and run over to James, who is just about to get in his car to meet with Jack and his daughter at the hospital.

"Wait!" I yell to him. "Can I come with you? Please?" I beg.

"As long as you're given the all clear by the paramedics, I'd be happy to have you along with me," he says. I look to the paramedics behind me for approval; they nod and climb into the extra ambulance, heading off in the direction of the hospital while I climb into the passenger seat of James's car and we follow them, my only thought for the entire ride about if Jack is okay.

**Author's Note: I hope this chappie is better than the last one! Merry Christmas Eve to those who celebrate! Another update will come tomorrow! Review!**


	16. Wondering What Christmas Will Bring

**Author's Note: First things first ~ Merry Christmas to all those who celebrate it! Now, you know the drill ~ please review, please check out shiqi98's Kickin' It story, and PLEASE VOTE on which one of is winning our shout-out war! Thank you and have a Very Merry Christmas! (No offence intended if you don't celebrate).**

**Jack's POV **

When we got back to the rubble that was once my house, I started coughing and couldn't stop. I saw Kim's worried expression, but I got separated from her, surrounded by blurry forms of people that I assumed were paramedics, but I couldn't focus on them. I felt myself being poked and prodded, and people were talking to me all at once. Everything seemed muted and foggy, and I lashed out at everyone, trying to escape the confusion.

It was tiring though, and eventually I felt my excess cough-attack start to cut off my air supply. I couldn't breathe, and I felt weak suddenly. I fell backwards a little bit, and then two pairs of arms grabbed me and I was half dragged, half carried into the back of some type of vehicle –probably an ambulance. I swear I heard my name being called once or twice by a familiar voice, but before I could place it, screaming sirens cut off whoever it was. The vehicle lurches forward, jarring me slightly and making my chest burn. An unfamiliar voice tells me to hold on, that I will be okay and that I will have help soon.

I close my tired eyes for what felt like just moments, and I guess I blacked out for a little while, because when I open them I am in a white-walled room, hooked up to multiple machines. There is a mask hooked up to my face, pumping fresh air into my lungs every few seconds to help me breathe. I blink my eyes hard a couple of times just as I had done this morning, trying to gather my wits a little bit. My mind doesn't feel as cloudy now, and I can think clearly. I try to sit up, but it hurts a little, and all of the machines and wires prevent me from going to far if I don't want to rip them from wherever they need to be.

I can hear people talking outside of my room, probably doctors, so I remain patient and wait to see if they come in, since I don't feel strong enough to yell out to them. Thankfully, the door creaks open a few minutes later. The doctor is very focused on his clipboard at first and doesn't seem to notice that I am awake, but he tears his eyes away from it long enough to see my eyes open, looking at him. He jumps a little; he obviously wasn't expecting a teen that he thought was unconscious to be lying there staring at him. He quickly composes himself, though.

"Ah, Mr. Brewer! Good to see that you are awake. Your friends will be very happy, especially the blonde girl. She has been sitting in the waiting room for hours worrying about you. I'll go get another doctor to check you over and tell your friends the news," he says.

I try to smile when I hear that Kimmy has been fretting over me; it's so sweet. Unfortunately, the breathing mask over my face doesn't really allow me too. A minute later, I hear a girl's voice say very loudly, "That's great! Thank you doctor! When can we see him?!" I manage to laugh a little when I hear that, because I know that it's Kimmy. It makes me cough a little, which brings the other doctor in.

"Hello, Jackson; how are you feeling?"

"Okay. Is Erin okay?" The doctor looks at me a little confused, and I realize he didn't understand a word I said because of the stupid mask on my face. I slowly reach up and go to pull it up, making sure he is okay if I take it off. When he makes no move to stop me, I yank it off of my face and take a few breaths before continuing, making sure I can breathe okay without it. It's a little shaky, but I'll live.

"I said, okay. How is Erin?"

"Erin . . . oh, you're little sister? Yes, she is fine. She only had one very minor burn that we treated and inhaled very little smoke; you protected her very well. On the other hand, you had a few more serious burns that we treated and wrapped for you. You inhaled a large amount of smoke, and mix that with your chest injury and it made it very hard for you to breathe, which is why we gave you the mask. When we release you, we'll give you an inhaler to use for a while to make sure that you will be able to breath okay."

Okay, so nothing seemed to be that serious; that was good, but my house was still gone . . .

To take my mind off of that, I ask, "Um, so when will I be able to be released?"

"Well, if all goes well, you should be able to get out of here early tomorrow, which works out well since it is Christmas tomorrow!" he says cheerily. However, that doesn't cheer me up because I have nowhere to celebrate Christmas. I mean, it's not about where you celebrate it anyway, but it was still a little saddening.

"Okay, thank you," I say. That is the end of our conversation; he only mumbles some things to himself as he checks my burns and my breathing and heart monitor, writing things down on his clipboard just as the other one had been doing.

"Hey, doctor, am I okay to have visitors?" I ask as he starts walking toward the door. He turns around and smiles at me.

"I'll send the girl and your other friends in; oh, and your stepfather."

I wonder why he wasn't sending my mother in too; she hadn't been caught in the fire, right? He is already gone, though, and I can't ask him. Just seconds later, the closed-door bursts open and Kimmy comes in, looking relieved to see me. She runs over to my bed, grabs both of my cheeks, and kisses me hard and passionately; I kiss back until I feel short of breath from a mixture of the kiss, my condition, and also the fact that Rudy, James, and the guys are standing at the door going "Eh hem!"

When Kim and I stop kissing, they all walk in and tell me how they are glad that I'm okay. James tells me that Erin will be okay to be released tomorrow; they just want to keep her over night to make sure their aren't any over-looked complications from smoke inhalation. He also sincerely thanks me for protecting her and making sure she stayed alive. "You're welcome," I tell him. "Um, and by the way, where is, um, my . . . mom?" I ask hesitantly, trying to make it sound like I didn't overly care; I did, though.

"Jack, she is in the hospital as well; Frank apparently gave her a concussion. When she found out what they wanted, she tried to stop them from getting in the house to protect you and Erin, and Frank kicked her in the head," Kim tells me.

"Oh. Is she, um, okay?"

"Yeah, Jack, she'll be fine. They don't know if she can be released tomorrow though."

"Oh, okay."

The doctor comes in then, and we all look to him, seeing what he wants.

"Visiting hours are over; sorry, but your friends and stepdad have to leave, Jackson," he says. Everyone groans, but they all say their goodbyes and leave, Kim's being another kiss, which makes me smile even in the midst of all of my confusing thoughts, feelings, and the frustration of being confined to a bed in a hospital.

I turn the small lamp on the bedside table off and try to get some sleep, wondering what Christmas tomorrow will bring.

**Author's Note: Hope you all enjoyed it! Please review! **


	17. It's Christmas!

**Author's Note: I hope you all enjoyed chapter 16! Now, here is chapter 17, but don't forget to check out shiqi98's story and vote on who is winning our shout-out war. Visit either one of our profiles to vote on the poll! Review and enjoy!**

**The Next Morning (Christmas Day)**

**Mrs. Brewer's POV**

I sigh, not really sure what to do. I was confined to a hospital bed with a pretty bad headache, worrying about Jack, who I wasn't allowed to get up to see. I knew that Jack was worse off than Erin, who was pretty much okay, and I hoped that he was okay too. I had tried so hard to protect the two of them, to make sure that those boys didn't get into the house, and I had failed . . . .

The door opened, and my doctor walked in. "Is my son okay?"

He looks down at his clipboard. "Let's see . . . ah, Jackson Brewer. He has a few second and third degree burns, and he inhaled a lot of smoke, but if all goes well he should be able to be released today, and based off of your test result, we now believe that you should be able to as well. Merry Christmas," he says as he checks me over and then leaves.

**Jack's POV**

I wake up and move to look at the clock on my nightstand to see what time it is . . . and I see the white walls and weird monitoring machines and remember that I am in the hospital on Christmas Day. "Merry Christmas, Jack," I hear. Startled, I jump a little, and hear my heart monitor beep faster. I find it a little hard to catch my breath and slow my heart back down, so I close my eyes and try to relax.

"Sorry, Jack! I didn't mean to scare you! Are you okay?" Kim's voice asks.

"Yeah, Kimmy, I'm fine. What are you doing here so early?" I ask her, opening my eyes.

"Well, I wanted to be the one to tell you that you will be able to go ho – um, be released today!" I can see that she hopes I wouldn't notice her falter, but I did. She had been about to say I could go home today, which wasn't true since I no longer had a home. She apparently sees the sad expression on my face, because she lies down next to me on my bed and snuggles up next to me, and then says, "You know, Jack, you'll always have a home at my place. You, Erin, your stepdad, and . . . even your mom are welcome to come to my house for Christmas and stay for as long as you need to."

I look at Kim in shock. She hates my mom, so that's saying something, even though she loves me. "Kimmy, you'd really do that? You'd take us all in, even my mom?" I find it really sweet that she would do that for my family and me.

"Jack, of course I'd really do that. You think I'm gonna turn you all away . . . on Christmas of all days when you have nowhere else to go? What kind of a person would I be then? I love you, Jack, and I'm so sorry that this happened to you. Here, I got you something though."

Curious, I watch as she gets up from my bed, walks over to the chair in the corner of the room, and pulls 2 things out of her bag, hiding one behind her back before I can see it. I wonder what it is? Walking back over, she lies back down next to me on the bed, snuggled back into me, making herself comfortable, and then gives me the first thing she had grabbed from her bag: Frank's mug-shot.

"They got him?" I ask, even though it was already obvious. She smiles at me.

"No, Jack, I photo-shopped it," she says sarcastically.

"I thought you might have," I reply sarcastically back. She hits me on the shoulder, smiling. I laugh and cough a little at the same time, but I don't even care; I am having fun with my Kimmy. "So, whatya got behind your back, Kimmy?" I ask, trying to sneak a peek at what it might be. She pulls it into sight and hands it to me. My face grows serious as I rub my hand over the cover of the photo album I had been looking at the other day, the one I had kicked under my bed trying to hide from her but had ended up showing her.

It is slightly scorched from the fire, but otherwise in good shape. "How -?" I ask, surprised. I didn't think I would see this again; I figured that the fire had completely destroyed it.

"Well, when you showed it to me I knew it was really special to you, so I went through the rubble for a little while last night with a flashlight to see if I could find it and if it was okay. I would have fixed it the best I could if it wasn't okay."

"How long is a little while, Kimmy?" I ask. She hesitates a little, but decides to answer.

"Umm, well I got there at 8:30 and didn't leave until 1:30 A.M. so . . . um, five hours."

"Kimmy!" I say, shocked again.

"What?!"

"You didn't have to do that for me."

"Well you're happy, aren't you?"

"Yes, very."

"Well, there you have it then, Jack. You're happy, and that's why I felt like I had to do it."

I give her a huge smile and kiss her full on the lips. She wraps her arms around my necks and kisses back full-force. I feel the fireworks and butterflies again, the ones that are always there when we kiss. It never gets old; it's always exhilarating and exciting when she kisses me. I hope it never changes.

"Hey Jack, I came to see you yo and wish you a Merry Christm – oh" Jerry starts but stops when he sees Kim and me making out on the bed. We pull away from each other after hearing that.

Holding back my laughter, I say, "Merry Christmas, Jerry."

Smiling, he walks in and stands over my bed, and I give him a fist bump. "So if you two are done with your PDA (**A/N that one is for you honeymello, my Twinny!) **the doctor said we could get you out of here, Jack. He picks up my clothes from the chair in the corner and throws them at me. "Kim, vamoose so Jack can get dressed!"

Kim glares at him, and he looks scared. Screaming like a girl, he runs out of the room with Kimmy chasing him. I laugh to myself. Maybe this Christmas would be better than I thought.

**Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed that chapter! The next one will be about Christmas festivities at Kim's house after they all get out of the hospital! Review please!**


	18. Christmas at Kim's Part 1

**Author's Note: This chappie shall focus on Christmas festivities at Kim's house and some family bonding between the Brewers! Hope you will all enjoy! Go check out shiqi98's story please! Also, I've noticed that like no one is voting in our shout-out war! Can you guys please do it? We are tied 2 – 2 right now and we need more voters! Thanks and please review as well! By the way, how many people actually read my Author's Notes? Tell me in a review if you do! **

**Jack's POV**

After Kimmy chased Jerry out of the room, I got up, closed the door, and got dressed with minimal coughing or breathing problems thank God! Slipping on my shoes, I open the door and walk out into the hallway. I scan the area with my eyes, looking for Kimmy and Jerry, but they are nowhere in sight. I knew that this was bad news for Jerry, since Kimmy had the guts to chase him through a hospital; with any luck they had gone outside and aren't disturbing patients with Jerry's screams of terror.

I am about to go try and find them when my doctor approaches me.

"Ah, Jackson! I see that your friend told you that you may go; good! Anyways, here is the inhaler I told you I want you to use for a while, until your lungs are fully recovered from the heavy smoke inhalation. Just use it twice a day, and whenever you feel like you are having problem breathing or can't stop coughing. Okay?" H e says all of this while handing me a white bag with the inhaler in it.

"Alright, Doc."

"By the way, was that your girlfriend and friend that just ran through here a few minutes ago?" he asks, looking slightly amused; I'm just glad he's not mad.

Laughing a little bit, I respond, "Yeah, it was."

"Okay. I suggest you find them before the blonde one kills the Latino. Have a Merry Christmas, Jack," he says while laughing to himself.

"You too, Doc," I say, also laughing. Carrying the little white bag in one hand and my salvaged photo album in the other, I walk out of the doors of the hospital, scanning the hallways quickly before exiting to be sure that I don't see 'the blonde one and the Latino.' Sighing to myself, I sit on the bench outside, waiting since I don't have my cell phone and it is to far of a walk to Kim's house from here. Eventually, with nothing else to do since Kimmy and Jerry still haven't made a reappearance, I fall asleep sprawled out on the bench.

Who-knows-how-long-later, I feel someone calling my name and shaking me awake. I expect to see Kimmy, but instead I see James with Erin. "Good morning, sleep head," he jokes while smirking.

"Haha, very funny," I say, sitting up and stretching. I wince slightly at the pain it causes in my ribs, since they still weren't completely healed yet. "Merry Christmas, James. Hey, isn't it Erin's first Christmas?" I ask.

"Merry Christmas to you too, Jack, and yes it is. Anyways, why are you sleeping on a bench? I thought Kim and Jerry were here. They said they would keep you company until I could get here to pick you, Erin, and your mom up."

"Well, funny story: They were here, Jerry told Kimmy to vamoose, she got ticked and chased him to who-knows-where, they haven't come back, and that is why I am sleeping on a bench outside of the hospital – and wait, did you say you're picking my mom up too? I thought she had to stay here."

"They've actually decided that she is okay to be released. Have you visited her?"

"Well, not yet. I just wasn't sure what I would say, and I wasn't even allowed to leave the room until today, and –"

"Jack, it's okay. You know you can't avoid her forever though, right?"

"I know, and I don't plan to, it's just hard, you know? I heard what she did to try and protect Erin and I, though, and I am very grateful."

"Tell her that, Jack, not me," he says, patting my shoulder with the hand that is not holding Erin. "I'm gonna go get your mom, you can stay here. I'll be back in a few minutes."

I nod and sit there in silence, my eyes closed, just thinking until I feel another hand on my shoulder. I open my eyes and see Kimmy sitting next to me on the bench. "Hey, I was starting to worry a little," I say, pecking her on the lips.

"Sorry about that, Jack. Jerry's a little faster than he looks, but I finally got him," she says proudly.

"Well, where is he? On a scale of how bad you hurt him, would you say he needs a nurse, doctor, or a hospital?" I ask, laughing slightly.

She hits my arm. "Oh, don't worry Jack. He'll get himself out of the bathroom eventually."

"You locked him in a bathroom?!"

"Yeah, but he was screaming pretty loudly, someone will hear him eventually," she says, laughing.

"Oh, Kimmy," I say, joining in he laugh.

Just then, James walks out with my mom and Erin. When my mom sees me, she runs over and hugs me. "Oh, Jack, thank God you're okay!" she says into my hair, and I swear I feel a tear hit my shirt. After a brief moment's hesitation, I hug her back, and she pulls away smiling at me. "Alright, everyone, let's head over to Miss Kimberly's house and get some Christmas cheer started!" James says, looking very happy for a man who has no place for him and his family to live now.

I couldn't blame him; I actually felt very happy right now too. It was still Christmas, and I still got to spend it with people I cared about. We all climb into James's car, Kimmy and I getting Erin strapped into her little baby car-seat, and then we are off. Kim's house comes into view minutes later, and we all climb back out of the car and head in. As soon as Kim's mom sees me, she comes over and gives me a big hug, but not so tight so that it hurts me. "Merry Christmas, Jack! How are you feeling, hun?" she says.

"I'm feeling fine, Mrs. Crawford, and Merry Christmas to you too." After I pull away from her, wish a Merry Christmas to Kimmy's father, and then watch as Mrs. Crawford introduces herself to James, coos over Erin, and awkwardly and very formally says hello and Merry Christmas to my mother, as if she wants to be polite and nice and friendly but finds it hard after all that has happened.

"Okay! First, we are going to exchange presents. Then, it's Christmas specials on television! I have cookies in the oven that should be ready by the time we are ready to watch them!" Mrs. Crawford says enthusiastically. James handed Erin to me and went to the car to grab the bag of presents that had luckily survived the fire thanks to me being able to toss them out of the window, even while trying to fight for mine and Erin's life.

I gave Kimmy hers first. "Oh, Jack, I love it!" she squeals, hugging me; it's a snow-globe with a picture of all of us Wasabi Warriors in it, posing at the dojo in our gi's. She gives me hers, and it is a personalized case for my laptop: a picture of her and I from a few weeks ago. I tell her that I love it as well. Even my mom and I exchange gifts, although a little awkwardly. After that we just kind of avoid each other based on some unspoken agreement.

Shortly after, the timer for the cookies ding and Kim rushes to go get them while her mom plays with my baby sister. I decide to go help her. I get into the kitchen just as she is placing the tray of cookies on the counter to cool. "Hey, Jack, guess what?" she asks, smiling.

"What?" I ask her, confused. She just points up at the ceiling. I follow where her finger is pointing and look up to see mistletoe. Smiling, I move forward without hesitation, I pick her up and spin her around while kissing her passionately on the lips, the smell of sugar cookies in the background and the sound of our heartbeats the only thing we hear.

**Author's Note: I think that's a good way to end the chapter! In the next one, it shall still be Christmas and I will pick up from right after their kiss! Review please! Sorry for not updating yesterday by the way! I went to the movies and out to dinner with my family!**


	19. Christmas at Kim's Part 2

**Author's Note: Thank you to every one who told me that they actually read my Author's Notes (I think there were 4 of you . . . lol!) Anyways, check out my girl shiqi98's Kickin' It story, and vote on who is winning our shout-out war by doing the poll on mine or her profile! Also, please go to Anonymously Truthful's profile and read her latest story. It currently doesn't have a real name yet, but it is a Kickin' It crossover with wrestling. It may sound kind of weird but trust me it is very good! So please go find it and read it! Thanks! Please enjoy and review!**

**Jack's POV **

"_Frosty the snowman, was a very happy soul!" _We were currently watching Frosty the Snowman. My mom and stepdad were sitting together on the love seat with Erin sleeping on James's lap, Kim's mom and dad were sitting in two different chairs right next to each other, and Kimmy and I were laying on the couch, her snuggling up next to me while I had my arm around her; we were all eating the cookies as well. Kimmy and I had just come back from the kitchen with them after finishing up our special mistletoe kiss, which still had the both of us happy.

We are at the part in the movie when Frosty is leading all of the kids past the traffic cop when the doorbell rings. Since the couch where Kimmy and I are laying is the spot closest to the door, I get up to answer it, even though Kimmy complains that she should get it and I should relax. I roll my eyes and pull the door open to see Jerry standing there, his hair dripping wet and part of his shirt wet as well. "Jerry, what the heck happened to you?" I ask, trying to hold in my laugh but failing.

"Yo, it's not funny dude! Kim locked me in a bathroom, and then someone finally opened the door just as I was running up to it to try and break it down. Turns out it was a janitor, and I fell right into his stupid mop bucket headfirst. Where is Kim?" he asks, looking like he wanted revenge.

As if on cue, I hear Kim yell, "Jack, who is it? What's taking so long?" and then get up and walk toward the door. When she sees Jerry's soaking wet hair and slightly wet shirt, she bursts out laughing. "What happened to you Jerry?!" she asks between laughs. Watching her laugh makes me laugh even harder than I had been, and Jerry just glares stupidly at us. Then, I see his eyes glint a little and he shakes his wet hair at us, droplets flying everywhere and hitting Kimmy and I. She shrieks slightly and bolts upstairs, me not far behind her. We are both still laughing hard as we hear Jerry walk into the house and follow us up the stairs, still shaking his wet hair at us while the parents all chuckle as the three of us disappear up to the second floor of Kim's house.

Kim and I rush into her bedroom and close the door on Jerry while he bangs on it, trying to get in. After a few minutes of us cracking up, we hear Jerry stop banging and lean against the door. Signaling for me to be quiet, Kim goes to the door and pulls it open really fast. Shrieking and cursing something in Spanish, Jerry falls onto the floor, landing on his back half in the room and half out. Kim and I both laugh ten times harder now as Jerry lays there, too lazy to get up or just enjoying how stupid we must look.

It gets to the because of my point where I am actually having a hard time breathing with my slightly damaged lungs. I try to calm myself down, but it turns into another cough-attack, making my injured chest hurt. Kim's laughing quickly stops and her face grows serious as she runs downstairs, hopefully to get the inhaler. Jerry get's up off of the floor and comes over to me, patting my back; it only slightly helps. With lightning speed, Kim comes rushing back into the room, almost slipping on the rug but catching herself at the last second. She hands me the inhaler and I quickly, well, inhale it, taking a deep breath in.

I am finally able to talk again a minute later, just as my mom and Kim's mom come into the room. "Thanks, Kimmy," I say.

"What happened? Are you kids okay? The way Kim just tore downstairs you'd think someone was dying. No one is dying, right?" Mrs. Crawford asks, confused yet concerned.

"No, just coughing," I say sheepishly.

"Okay, well be careful!" she says. "Kim, Jerry, no more making him laugh so hard!"

I think it's nice that she is concerned for me, but honestly, I'm fine now! Kim's mom leaves, but my mom stands there awkwardly playing with her hands.

"Kim, Jerry, do you guys mind if I talk to Jack for a minute?" she asks.

Kim hesitates for a minute. After all, it's her room, and she already doesn't care for my mom too much, but to my surprise she nods her head 'yes' and grabs Jerry's hand, dragging him out of the room and closing the door behind them. I look at my mom expectantly, waiting for her to speak, but she seems to suddenly freeze up and not know what to say to me.

After another minute of awkward silence, I take the initiative and start talking to her. "Mom, I never thanked you for trying to protect Erin and I from Frank and his idiot friends, so thank you. I really appreciate you putting yourself in danger just to try and save us."

She looks like she might tear up, but she holds it in and says, "Well, that's what mothers are for."

"The thing is, though, and I'm sure that you already know this, you haven't been a mother to me for the past year; Kim's mom has. You really hurt me when you left, you know, and you have no idea what my friends and I even went through because you were just gone."

"Well, I know it had something to do with psychos trying to kill you, which I would love to have explained later since you mentioned it a few days ago. Now, Jack, I know that I haven't been a mother to you for the past year. I know that I hurt you. I don't know what I was thinking when I left, just abandoning my 15-year-old son like that.

I loved you, and I still love you. I was just going through some kind of depression, I guess, with missing your father again and with all of the fights we were having, it just messed with my mind, Jack, and I had to get away. I know that I can't force you to forgive me; I can't make things right again right away. I really hope that I can work with you to gain your trust back though, Jack, because you are still my son and as I already said I still love you so much! What do you say, Jack?"

She has tears streaming down her face by the time she is done with her little speech. I take a minute to respond, but I finally make the choice I have been struggling with ever since my mom made a reappearance. "I don't know if we can ever go back to normal, mom, but I'll try. Merry Christmas," I say, hoping I have made the right choice. I just didn't want to be hurt again.

"Thank you so much, Jack! Now, what do you say you tell me what happened with these killers after I left?" she asks, looking concerned.

"Okay," I say, and start on the long story.

**Author's Note: Review please!**


	20. Bad Feelings

**Author's Note: I'm gonna cut right to the chase: Please read my girl shiqi98's story, please vote on our shout-out war, and review pretty please! Thank you all so much! Now, the only thing left for you to do is read on and enjoy chapter 20! So, enjoy!**

**Kim's POV**

Jack and his mom have been up there forever! She's probably poisoning his mind with useless nonsense about how she is so sorry about what happened and how she will try and make it better. I mean, give me a break! I know she hates that Jack is upset with her, but is she really sorry? She wouldn't have left in the first place had she been sorry, right? Oh, I don't know what to think about this, but all I know is I don't want Jack getting hurt again. I hated seeing him so broken. It was heartbreaking seeing him like that, so crushed and defeated . . .

I pull myself out of those thoughts when I hear footsteps from upstairs leaving my room and then tramping down the stairs. Seconds later, Jack comes into view with his mom close behind. She looks happy, and Jack does as well, but also slightly confused and lost in thought. As soon as he gets into the living room, I grab him by his arm and drag him outside into my backyard, and into the little gazebo type tent we have on the deck. It has betting all around it to keep bugs and such out.

As soon as we are inside, I zip it up and sit down on the hammock inside, patting the space next to me to motion that I want him to sit down. He does, rocking the hammock slightly and making it swing a little bit back and forth. "What's the matter, Kimmy?" he asks.

"I was going to ask you the same thing. Your mom looks happy, and you do a little bit, but I can tell that something is nagging at you. What happened between you two? Oh, and don't worry about Jerry interrupting us; I sent him home," I respond. He looks down at the deck for a minute before responding.

"Kimmy, I'm confused. We made up, and I told her I would work on trying to get things back to normal and trusting her again. I have a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach though, like something is wrong about the choice I made. I mean, I'm happy that things might go remotely back to how they used to be, but, did I make the right choice, Kimmy?"

I ponder his situation for a minute before giving him an answer, because I know that my answer can't be fueled by my hatred of Jack's mom; I have to look at all of the aspects from an impartial point of view.

"Well, Jack, I wish I could comfort you and tell you that you did make the right choice, but honestly only time will tell," I tell him. It wasn't the most reassuring piece of advice, but it was true, and honestly I was starting to share the weird feeling that Jack is having.

* * *

I slowly wake up to sun streaming into my room from all four sides . . . wait, what? That wasn't possible. I open my eyes and find myself looking up at the top of a canvas material; I am still in the gazebo-type tent on the deck. Jack and I must have fallen asleep out here. I wondered why my parents hadn't woken us up? I sit up slowly so as not to disturb Jack, who was still deep in sleep next to me. I smile; he looks so cute! I get up carefully and pull out my iPhone, taking a quick picture of him before walking over to back door and quietly sliding it open.

When I get inside, I see my mom in the kitchen cooking breakfast. "Hi, sweetie!" she says, smiling when she sees me walking in. "Did you sleep well? You two certainly looked comfortable," she tells me, winking.

"Mom!" I say, but I have a little smirk on my face as I turn away to sit down at the table and grab a waffle. No sooner than I reach my hand out for it, another hand swats it away. "Hey!" I grumble, glaring up at my mom.

"What? We're all going to sit down and eat together, well except for Mrs. Brewer, James, and Erin; that woman dragged them out bright and early to do shopping of some sort." I still sit there as she finishes speaking, thinking back to the feeling Jack and I had yesterday . . .

"If you want to eat, go wake up Jack," my mom says, cutting off my thoughts and crossing her arms. "I'll take care of your father."

Sighing, I get up and walk back outside into the canvas gazebo. A plan forms in my head, and I smirk slightly. I take one last look at his peaceful sleeping face, and then flip the hammock over, dumping Jack onto the deck, but not hard enough to hurt him too bad; I knew he was still injured slightly.

I laugh as he lies there on his back, groaning and blinking up at me dazedly. "Come on, Brewer, it's breakfast time and I'm hungry," I say as I stick my hand out to him. He grabs a hold of it and I begin to help him up, but before I can stop him, he pulls on my hand suddenly, jerking me down to the ground on his lap. We both stay like that for a minute, cracking up until my dad comes out and gives us a funny look while smirking. I quickly get off of Jack and help him up without him dragging me down this time.

We both walk inside holding hands and sit down next to each other at the table, explaining to Jack where his mom, sister, and stepdad went before we start eating. The food is delicious, and we all make jokes, tell stories, and just have fun in general, just like Jack is a part of the family. One look at him smiling and laughing, and it makes me do the same, but every time my eyes fall on him that feeling he had descried yesterday comes back, a warning that something bad will happen, and I know I'm going to have to keep an eye on Jack and his mother.

**Author's Note: Oohh, that bad feeling isn't going away. What do you guys think is going to happen? Is Jack right to trust his mother again, or should him and Kim pay very close attention to this bad feeling they are having? Guess you guys will find out soon! Review please!**


	21. Mentally Unstable

**Author's Note: I wanna take a minute to thank all of the guests who review this, since I can't thank you guys in PMs. So, thank you! And hgirl, happy New Year to you as well! Sorry your 2013 picture didn't show up good in the review! Okay, now please read shiqi98's story, vote on who is winning our shout-out war, review . . . yeah, all the normal stuff! Enjoy chapter 21!**

**Jack's POV**

Wow, I had almost forgotten how good Mrs. Crawford's cooking was in the few days I had been without it! Breakfast was delicious, and also a lot of fun. There was lots of laughing and smiling, just as if I was a part of the family. However, amidst Kim's smiles and laughs I also detected concern every time her eyes landed on me. I wondered why? I decided that when breakfast ended, I would pull her aside in private and talk to her.

A few minutes later, everyone's dish was cleared and Mrs. Crawford started getting up to put everything in the sink. Momentarily pushing aside my curiosity at Kim's behavior at the table, I quickly stand up and begin to gather plates as well. "I've got it, Mrs. C," I say. However, her hand swats at mine, causing me to put the plates down so I don't drop them.

"That's very sweet, Jack, but you're a guest here; I'll take care of this," she responds, smiling and grabbing the plates I had just placed back down on the table. I just smirk to myself. Classic Mrs. Crawford; I can see where Kimmy gets her stubbornness from. Sighing, I go to pull Kim aside to talk with her, since I can see the worried expression creeping back into her eyes as she watches me, but just then my mother walks in the door with Erin in her arms, a little bit of an annoyed expression on her face as she looks at James who is not far behind her; something had obviously happened between the two of them.

The reason for me not pulling Kim aside was not their presence, but the fact that almost as soon as they walked in, my mom turned to me and said, "Jack, honey, may I talk to you upstairs for a moment, if it's okay with Mrs. Crawford of course to be up there."

With Mrs. Crawford's nod of approval, I begin to follow my mom upstairs when Kim runs up to me, pulling, me back for a minute. "Jack, should you be alone with her?" she whispers hurriedly. "What about that feeling we were having yesterday?"

To be honest, I had pushed that feeling away, knowing that it was probably nothing and I shouldn't worry myself over it. "Kimmy, relax, Erin will be there," I say, trying to ease her tension. She doesn't look amused, though.

She hits my arm and says, "Jack, I'm serious."

Wow, she was really freaking out over this. "Kimmy, I'm a black belt in karate. If I need to fight her for any reason, which I won't need to, then I'll be able to. I only have some minor injuries left, so I'll be fine. I promise. Can I go now?"

She looks hesitant, but she knows that I won't give up trying to convince her to let me go, so she says, "Fine, but please keep your guard up and don't take your eyes off of her, Jack! I'm serious." She kisses me on the cheek and lets go of my arm, still looking worried. I write it off as her just not liking my mom and still not trusting her and push her warnings to the back of my mind as I follow my mom upstairs.

When we get into the other spare bedroom that my mom, James, and Erin have been using, she closes the door and places Erin gently on the bed, away from the edge. "Alright, mom, what do you want to talk about?" I ask, looking her in the eyes; the look in them seemed off, and I briefly wondered what was going on in her mind when she spoke up and cut off my train of thought.

"Jack, honey, I've been thinking a lot about what you told me happened when I left, you know with the people who tried to hurt you and your friends?"

She looks to me to make sure I understand what she is talking about, and I nod slowly, wondering where she is heading with this. She waits a minute and then continues.

"Well, after hearing that, I've been worried, and I really want to keep you and your sister safe, Jack. James thinks I am nuts, of course, and overreacting, but I want you to come with me to somewhere I know, somewhere that is safe where I can make sure nothing will happen to you and your sister. Ever."

I look at her oddly; the look in her eyes is making me slightly creeped out, and I am actually putting my guard up slightly now. "Mom, trust me, that won't happen again. We're perfectly safe here with Kim and her family, alright?"

"Jack, I'm serious young man. I want you to come with me, and we'll leave today. I'll take your sister too; you won't be alone. James shouldn't come though; he doesn't agree with me on this. Okay, so why don't you go pack the stuff that you have and we'll head out!"

Okay, she was starting to freak me out a little now, and I rarely get freaked out. "Mom, I'm fine, and I'm staying here, alright? Nothing will happen, I promise you!" I see hurt reflecting in her eyes, but there is no way I am leaving here, so with that said, I turn away from her to leave and go back downstairs, to reassure Kim that I am okay. I hear the phone ring, and someone rush to answer it; I don't know why I pay attention to that, but I do. Just as I am about to twist the doorknob and leave, my mom's voice says, "I was afraid you'd say that, Jack. I'm sorry, but this is for your own good."

The hair on the back of my neck stands up, and my mind screams at me to turn around. I spin around to face my mom, and too late I see her swing the lamp from the nightstand towards my head . . .

**Kim's POV**

My parents had stepped outside to help James bring the rest of the shopping bags in, and I am debating about whether I should go upstairs and make sure Jack is okay when the phone rings; I run to go see who it is. Looking at the caller ID, I recognize the number for the hospital and pick up, wondering why they were calling. "Hello?" I ask.

"Hello, is this Karen Crawford speaking?" the nurse on the other line asks me.

"No, this is her daughter, Kim Crawford. Can I help you?"

"Are your parents there, sweetie? This is very important."

"They've stepped outside for a minute; would you like me to get them?"

She hesitates for a very brief moment, and then says, "No, it can't wait. Listen carefully, hun, and tell your parents: It's about the woman who is staying with you currently, Mrs. Sarah Brewer. The doctor has examined some test results closer from when she was here for her concussion, and he found an unusual brain-wave pattern."

Okay, I have no clue what that means, but it doesn't sound good. "Um, so what does that mean exactly?" I ask, confused.

"It means that she is mentally unstable and has been for some time now. We are sending a special . . . um, unit over to your house that will bring her back to the hospital; she needs to be held here for a while. It is important that you tell your parents this immediately, and don't let anyone be alone with her."

That is when I hear a crashing noise from upstairs, like something breaking, and I remember that Jack is up there with his mom, alone with her unless you counted the baby. "JACK!" I yell loudly, suddenly very concerned. I drop the phone and it hits the floor, not bothering to hang up. I rush up the stairs and open the closed door of the spare room where James, Erin, and Mrs. Brewer have been sleeping and my eyes widen at the scene laid out before my eyes.

**Author's Note: Oohh, major cliffy! Sorry guys! You'll find out what happens tomorrow! Review please! **


	22. In Trouble

**Author's Note: Winter Break is officially over for me; I started school again today. That means there will be no chance at all for updates early on in the day or in the afternoon, only at night unless it is a weekend and can possibly update earlier! Anyways, do I even have to tell you to read shiqi98's story, and also her one-shot now plus vote for our shout-out war? I hope not! Please review also! Now, enjoy cuz I left you all on a cliffy! *******There will be credit given at the bottom author's note for two things in this story.*******

**Kim's POV**

I just stare at the scene unfolding in front of me, momentarily shocked. Jack is laying on the floor, out cold and his head bleeding. The lamp that had been on the nightstand is smashed on the floor next to him; I'm assuming his mother hit him with it. Erin is crying very loudly in one of Mrs. Brewer's arms, and Mrs. Brewer is hurriedly trying to somehow get both the baby and her unconscious son out of the room. When she sees me standing there, she smiles, but something is off about it, and I can see an almost maniacal look in her eyes.

She drops Jack's leg, which she had been pulling on to try and drag him out of the room, and looks at me with what I guess is her attempt at a kind expression. "Hi, Kim sweetie!" she says, apparently not phased at all that I intruded on whatever she is doing. I take a deep breath, knowing that I have to approach this situation carefully. The other adults were all outside still for some reason and I was not leaving Jack here to go get them when he was defenseless to protect himself and his sister.

"Hi, Mrs. Brewer," I say cheerily, even though I am feeling scared and nervous, which used to be foreign feelings to me but have now been very prominent in my life ever since this woman made a reappearance. I am worried about continuing, about saying anything else and putting Jack, Erin, and myself in worse danger, but one look at my boyfriend lying limp on the floor, a small puddle of blood starting to seep onto the floor, and I find my courage.

"Why are you doing this?" I ask, managing to not show weakness in my voice.

"It's to protect my children. I'm taking them somewhere safe where no one can hurt them. Jack told me about what happened to you kids when I left last year, and I refuse to let something like that happen again. He wouldn't come willingly," she says, pointing down to Jack, "So I had to take him by force. It's for his own good though, so don't worry."

"You may be trying to protect him, but you've hurt him by doing that. He needs a doctor, and, well, so do you!" I say a little louder than I meant to. She looks a little hurt at my words.

"Kim, honey, I just don't think you understand. It's grown-up business, and you're just a child." This makes me very angry, but I try to hold my temper back for Jack and Erin's sake. I am trying to think of something to say to try and defuse the bad situation when I see a gleam in her eyes and she smiles at me again.

"Kim, you can come with us! You were involved in what happened last year too! I can protect all three of you, and keep you safe from harm," she says proudly.

"Mrs. Brewer, no," I say frustratingly. "Listen to me; you need a little bit of help, alright? Now, why don't you give me Erin and-"

"You don't want to come? I'll treat you very well, and you'll get to be with Jack!" she says, trying to convince me.

"No," I say, letting some of my anger and frustration into my answer.

"Well, Kim, I'm sorry, but you are coming. It's for your own good." She puts Erin down on the bed and grabs one of James's belts, coming toward me with it. I back up a little, nervous, but she speeds up her step and grabs my arms roughly. I struggle in her grasp; I kick and pinch and do my best to break free, but she doesn't let go. She is stronger than she looks, and can apparently endure pain well.

"Let me go!" I yell. God, why wouldn't James and my parents come back in the house?! Where was that special unit the hospital was sending?!

I feel the belt being wrapped around my wrists, and then being tightened. She releases me, and I try to get my hands out of my binds but it is no use. As Mrs. Brewer head for the closet, I run for the door; even though I didn't want to leave Jack and Erin, it was our only hope. I get out of the room and head for the stairs when I am tackled from behind and crash to the floor.

"Help! HELP!" I yell out as I feel another belt being secured around my ankles and one around my knees; no one comes. I groan in defeat as I'm turned onto my back and look up into the victorious face of Mrs. Brewer. She drags me downstairs with Erin in one hand and my bound feet in the other. I wince as each stair hits my back, and I'm sure I gain a few bruises from the trip down. She drops me by the back door, putting Erin in my lap as she goes back upstairs to get Jack.

I coo at the screaming baby, and eventually her wails are reduced to hiccupping breaths. I wish I could hold the baby girl and reassure her, but I can't move my hands. A minute or two later, I hear thumps coming down the stairs and then Mrs. Brewer drags Jack, who is still unconscious, right next to me. Grabbing the car keys and a scarf, she comes back up to us and puts the scarf in my mouth, and then ties it around my head as a gag.

I sigh, at a loss for what to do now. I guess Mrs. Brewer hears, because she says, "Don't worry, I promise I'll take good care of you and won't let anything happen to you, Kim." She sounds very kind and convinced, and for once, I actually feel a tiny bit of pity for the woman; who knew what was going on inside her head? Whatever it was, she obviously thought that what she was doing was a good thing. However, it didn't change the fact that she had hit Jack over the head with a lamp and was now in the middle of kidnapping him, Erin, and me when what we should have been doing was getting Jack to a hospital. His head had stopped bleeding for the most part, but he was still out cold and that worried me.

All of a sudden, there is bright light shining in my face and I realize that Mrs. Brewer has opened the back door. I can hear my parents and James laughing and talking, but I can't call out to them because of the scarf stuffed into my mouth. Their voices slowly get closer, and then stop; I realize it is because they went inside. Rushing now, Mrs. Brewer grabs me and slings her over her shoulder, putting Erin in her one arm and dragging Jack with the other. We get over to her car. I am placed gently on the floor, Jack is laid down right next to me even though it is a tight fit, and Erin is quickly buckled into her car seat. With that done, Mrs. Brewer goes to the driver seat, buckles up, and starts the car, and then speeds away from my house, just as I begin to hear sirens approaching it. Really?! NOW they get there? I sigh, and try to endure the bumps as the car gets farther and farther away from the people who could have helped had they been there just seconds earlier.

**Author's Note: ***Credit to Bluedog270 for telling me that Kim should be kidnapped with Jack and Erin so that there could still be kick moments, and also some credit to an old show I used to watch: My Life As a Teenage Robot. When I came up with the "special unit" thing last chapter, I pictured the men with the white van that took Jenny away in that episode where she had to go to kindergarten and I think that's where the idea came from! If no one has ever seen that show, sorry if you are confused! Lol. Please review!**


	23. At Least We Have A Televison

**Author's Note: Okay, the usual – read shiqi98's story and one-shot, vote in our shout-out war by visiting either one of our profiles, and please review! Now, enjoy I know that I left you on a semi-cliffy! **

**IMPORTANT FOR EVERYONE WHO LOVES KICIKIN' IT:**** Leo Howard is guest-starring on a new Shake It Up on Sunday, January 13****th**** at 9:00 Eastern Standard Time! YAY! :D Had to share that it looks so good! Kk, read on now!**

**Kim's POV**

What seemed like hours later, or maybe just my mind tricking me since the car ride was not very comfortable, we came to a stop and out of the corner of my eye I saw Mrs. Brewer getting out of the car. Seconds later, the one of the back doors slide open, and she reaches over Jack and I to unstrap Erin. Taking the baby in her arms, she leaves, probably to put her into the house. While she is gone, I manage to turn myself over onto my side to be able to see Jack.

He looks peaceful, but I don't hesitate in waking him up this time like I did this morning when I realized we fell asleep in the hammock; this was serious, and I was worried. I kick both of my legs out, since I can't move them individually, and result in kicking him. I expect at least a groan, but he is silent and still. I am about to try again when I hear footsteps approaching the car, and suddenly I am being dragged out very fast. Before I know it, I am thrown over the threshold of a door and find myself in the living room of a house; I hadn't even been able to get a good look at where we were!

Seconds later, Jack is thrown right next to me, this time groaning a little bit from the impact, but his eyes are still not opened. "Alright, Kim! You and Jack will be living in the basement! Don't worry, it's nice down there!" We're living in a basement? How will it be nice? I don't get much time to think about it before Jack and I are simultaneously being dragged down the stairs. The belt securing my hands is undone as I am tossed onto the floor, and then I hear Mrs. Brewer's footsteps receding back up the stairs and multiple locks being clicked into place, meaning that we were definitely stuck down here. As soon as I gather my senses, I get to work on undoing the belt around my knees and the one around my ankles, take the scarf out of my mouth, and then stand up, grab Jack, and lay him down on . . . the couch?

Looking around, I realize that Mrs. Brewer hadn't been lying; the basement was actually nice. It was about the size of 1 and a half classrooms, with two couches facing each other with a coffee table in between with a nice sized flat-screen television on it, a mini fridge, 2 closed doors that I assumed had to be bathrooms by the boy and girl symbols one either one, some board games on the floor in the corner, and King-sized bed in another corner. The entire place was carpeted as well. I'm actually impressed; it's nicer than any room in my house. I pull my thoughts away from that however; I had to deal with Jack right now.

Turning my head back to look at him, I shake him gently. "Jack," I say. "JACK!" I yell when that doesn't work, shaking him harder. He groans lightly, and I see his eyelids flutter. Excited, I continue shaking him to make sure he wakes up. Seconds later, he blinks dazedly at me.

"Are you okay?" I ask, concerned as I see pain etched into his facial expression.

"My head hurts," he says. "What happened, and where are we?" he asks, looking around with his eyes and realizing we are not at my house.

I sighed; how would he take the news of what happened? He had put everything on the line to trust his mother again, and then she had gone crazy and done this . . . "Kim?" Jack's voice interrupts my thoughts, and I realized I had spaced out while thinking.

"Um, well I'm not exactly sure where we are, Jack," I answer his second question, avoiding his first one. However, just when I think he is about to ask what happened again, I see the look of hurt and slight anger cross his face and I know that he remembers. He groans again, but not from pain this time; it's from frustration. He closes his eyes, and he just looks so sad. I am about to say something to him, but he speaks up first. It's quiet, but I can still understand him.

"I should have listened to you, Kimmy; I should never have trusted her again. I'm so stupid!" I see a tear escape from his eye, and I wipe it away.

"Jack, you are most definitely not stupid, and it wasn't your fault, either. While you were upstairs alone with her, the hospital called; she's mentally unstable, Jack. She thinks that what she is doing is for your own good."

"Just because she's mentally unstable doesn't change the fact that I let her beat me; I'm a third degree black belt and I let her take me out with a lamp!" he yells, wincing as a flash of pain crosses his face.

I look at him, and then I feel angry all of a sudden; but not at Mrs. Brewer or myself, at Jack. "Jackson Fabian Brewer, don't be hard on yourself! She caught you off-guard, that's all. I don't want to hear anymore of you blaming yourself, got it?!" He looks shocked at my outburst, but I can see in his eyes that he understands, and I smile.

"Good. How does your head feel now?"

"The same as it did two minutes ago," he says with his voice laced with some pain but also sarcasm, and he smirks; there's the Jack Brewer I know, cocky and sarcastic even when the situation isn't the best.

"I'll be right back," I tell him, heading up the stairs; I want to make sure that the door is most definitely locked tight before we sit here and do nothing. I twist the knob, and the door doesn't budge. Yup, we are trapped. I look through a tiny keyhole in the knob, and I get a little glimpse at the house beyond; I don't recognize it. Sighing, I walk back down to Jack, who has managed to sit up and is scanning the room a little more.

I sit down next to him, not exactly sure what to do now. Then it hits me: we may have been kidnapped, but there was still a television; why don't we see if it works? "Jack, there's a television . . . . maybe we can check the news and see if there's anything about us on it?" I suggest.

"Okay," he responds. I find the remote sitting on the coffee table next to the TV, and I hit the power button. The TV turns on, and I flip to Channel 4 News, and just as I had expected, it was a story about Jack and I. They were showing live footage of my house right now. It shows my parents and James; my mom is crying like crazy, my dad has a tear making it's way down his cheek but other than that a stoic expression, and James just looked shocked. Seeing them like that made me shed a few tears of my own, but Jack was right there, putting his arm around me and telling me it would be alright, even though we were locked up who-knows where with a crazy woman and he probably had a concussion.

I was not happy at all, but I tried to look at the bright side; someone had to find us eventually, and, umm . . . we had a TV.

**Author's Note: Okay, I tried to end that chapter on a funny note; hope you liked this chapter! Review please!**


	24. Breaking The News to the Warriors

**Author's Note: Hey, hope you all checked out shiqi98's stories and voted in our shout-out war; we would both appreciate it if you did! Please review, and I hope everyone enjoys chapter 24!**

**Jack's POV**

Groaning at the pain in my head, I get out of the King-sized bed Kim and I had fallen asleep in last night after shutting the TV off. I head to my bathroom (Yeah, there were two; one for me and one for Kim) to splash some water on my face to wake up, and I get into the shower. This felt so normal that I could almost pretend Kim and I hadn't been kidnapped and locked in a basement by my insane mother. Not completely, but almost. Sighing, I hop out of the shower and change into the clothes that had been left on the sink for me at some point during the night while Kim and I were sleeping, and then go sit on the couch, keeping busy by playing Jenga with myself until Kim wakes up, trying to ignore the steady pain in my head that refuses to go away.

**Rudy's POV**

"Hey, has anyone seen Jack and Kim today?" I ask my three students that had actually bothered to show up for karate practice; Jack and Kim were 15 minutes late and counting.

"Sorry, Rudy, I haven't seen them since Christmas," Jerry says. I look to Milton and Eddie to see if they have seen them or heard anything from them, but they shake their heads 'no.'

Getting a weird feeling like something has happened that I should know about, I decide to call Kim's house and check up on her and Jack, since the two families were living together after the fire had burned down Jack's house. Telling the three boys that I will be right back, I head into my office, not bothering to close the door, and dial the Crawford's number. It rings and rings, and just when I think that no one is going to answer, someone does.

"Hello?" a very sad and stern sounding voice says from the other line, and I recognize it as Mr. Crawford's. I could tell from the voice that something was wrong. Maybe there was some kind of family issue and that was why Kim wasn't here, and Jack had stayed to be with her? I wasn't positive.

"Hello, Mr. Crawford, this is Rudy Gillespie; I'm the sensei at your daughter's dojo, we've met a few times before. I was wondering if she and Jack Brewer would be joining us for practice today? It's unlike the two of them to not show up," I say, letting a little bit of my worry for them show through.

"Wait, you mean you haven't heard what's happened? Don't you watch the news, Rudy?" the man asks, now sounding slightly more distressed and just tired, like he hadn't slept last night.

"I haven't recently; I've been busy with the dojo. We have a tournament coming up in a couple of weeks, you know. What's happened?"

"Kim and Jack, along with Jack's baby sister, were abducted last night, Rudy," he says in a small voice, and I can tell he must be crying slightly on the other end. Shocked, I can't bring myself to speak for a moment.

"WHAT?!" I finally manage to say, a look of horror, sadness, and worry etched onto my face; I quickly glance back into the main part of the dojo and see that Milton, Eddie, and Jerry have stopped practicing and are looking at me intently, with a look of "what the heck happened?" on their faces.

"You heard me, Rudy; they've been abducted."

"Well, do you know who the culprit is, Mr. Crawford?"

Sighing, he says, "Yes, it was Jack's mother."

"WHAT!?" I yell again. "I thought she said she had changed; why would she do something like that?"

"Rudy, please don't yell; my wife can hear you and she's upset enough as it is. Now, may I explain?"

"Yes, Mr. Crawford, please continue."

"Well, apparently she is mentally unstable and has been for some time now. The hospital called yesterday while my wife, James, and I were outside to warn us, and that a unit was on their way to our house to obtain her. Of course, we didn't know any of this; we were outside, and according to them, Kim had answered. We were already inside by this point, and wondering why it was so quiet.

That's when they had showed up and explained all of this. They said Kim had called Jack's name and they had heard footsteps going upstairs, so that's where we went. When we got up there, though, there was only a broken lamp and a puddle of blood on the floor that was identified as Jack's, and three of James's belts missing."

I don't talk for a minute, upset. I finally get my voice back and say, "Oh. Thank you for telling me, Mr. Crawford. I'm very sorry about what happened and I will do everything I can to help on this. Your daughter is a strong girl, and Jack is a strong boy; they will keep each other and the baby safe, I know it. Try not to worry too much, okay?"

"Okay, thank you, Rudy." He hangs up, but I know that I heard a little glimmer of hope in his voice after what I had said about his daughter and Jack being strong kids. I don't have much time to think about it, because I feel my thoughts wandering to where the two may be, and an overwhelming emptiness comes over me knowing that they are gone. Where had that woman taken them, and what had she done to be able to take them? They were both third degree black-belts! And what had she done to Jack to make him bleed . . . .?

Milton, Eddie, and Jerry saying, "Rudy," interrupted my thoughts. "RUDY!" they say again, louder. I jump slightly, and turn to the boys.

"Huh?" I ask.

"What's wrong? What were you and Mr. Crawford talking about?"

I take a deep breath; how would they take the news about their friends?

Sighing, I look my three students in the eyes each in turn, and say, "Jack, Kim, and Jack's sister were abducted yesterday by Mrs. Brewer."

I feel even worse than I had before when I see there shocked and upset faces. They don't say anything however, so I take over. "I think we should cut practice short and go to visit Kim's parents and James, okay?"

They nod their heads, and we all walk out to my car and are on our way in less than a minute.

**Author's Note: I don't feel like saying much; just please review!**


	25. Back To Jack and Kim

**Author's Note: I'll warn you: this chapter will be short. I've kind of not been very anxious in writing this right now. I've become super obsessed with Rise of the Guardians and am starting a story in that category, and reading so many fics for it! To everyone whose Kickin' It stories I read, I'm sorry I haven't been reading and reviewing the newest chapters; I'm just kind of on a short break from Kickin' It right now. I won't abandon this story though, so don't worry too much.**

**Kim's POV**

I wake up and am surprised when there is no sun shining into my face; my mom normally opens the curtains in my room so that I get up early because of the bright sun. However, it wasn't happening today. I'm momentarily confused until I remember what happened, and that I'm currently trapped in a basement in some house somewhere with Jack . . . Jack! Where was he? I didn't feel his body next to mine and I distinctly remember him falling asleep next to me in the bed yesterday. I sit up quickly, and am relieved to see Jack sitting on one of the couches in new clothes, playing Jenga with himself and looking pretty bored.

Some of my worry quickly slips away after seeing that he is here and okay; however, the worry of what would happen to us was still nagging at the back of mind. I try to ignore it and relax, but it is ever present in the corner of my brain. Sighing quietly, I take the blankets off of me and slide out of the bed, not very quietly apparently because Jack's head turns toward me and I meet his gorgeous chocolate brown eyes. He smile upon seeing me awake, probably hoping that I could help entertain him in some way even if he would never admit it to me.

"Good morning, Kimmy!" he says, getting up to come over and see me but knocking over his Jenga tower in the process. I laugh at him, and he just shrugs, finishes walking over to me, and kisses me passionately on the lips; I gladly return it. When I pull away, I run my hand through his brunette hair like I have so often done and immediately feel guilty when he winces; I had forgotten about his head injury.

"Sorry, Jack!" I apologize. The little bit of pain didn't leave his eyes, but he tried to cover it up.

"It's okay, Kimmy; it's not that bad," he lies.

"Sure," I say, not believing a word he says. He rolls his eyes but I can see that he knows I don't believe him, and he just leaves it at that, knowing that he can't convince me otherwise.

"I'm gonna go shower; will you be okay by yourself for a few minutes?" I ask, genuinely worried that his mother might be crazy enough to do something to him while I was gone. I hadn't seen her since yesterday when we were brought here, but I assumed she would be coming don soon to check up on us or at least give us some foo; I was really hungry, having not eaten anything since lunch yesterday.

Picking up on my concern, Jack gently kisses my forehead, looks me in the eyes, and says sincerely, "I'll be fine, Kimmy; go take a shower. I can handle myself."

My mind immediately flashes to yesterday when he had said that he could handle himself and he had instead been knocked out cold, but I decide not to say it out loud since it would only sting his pride and cause him to put more blame on himself than he already was. He notices my hesitation still, and he rolls his eyes again and literally pushes me into the bathroom next to his and closes the door. When I try to open it, I find that Jack is leaning against it with a lot of force, refusing to let me out until I am done showering and changing my clothes. I can't help but laugh a little and oblige with what he wants, even though the little shadow of worry never vanishes the entire time.

I finish showering and getting dressed in record timing; I normally take around an hour or two, but I was out in 5 minutes flat. Jack laughs as I come stumbling out drying my hair and looking around for any danger. I see a tray of pancakes on the table and two glasses of water, and I shoot Jack a questioning look. "She slid it through a slot in the door; eat up," he says, and I see that he has already finished eating half of his.

I consider the fact at first that Mrs. Brewer had done something to them, but she didn't want us dead; she thought she was protecting us. I couldn't argue with that logic or my grumbling stomach, so I dig in and finish quickly, ignoring Jack's comments about how fast I was wolfing it down and his laughing at me. I vaguely wonder how he is being so cheerful in a situation like this, but I decide it is just his personality, him trying to keep my spirits high, and also how the cozy atmosphere felt nothing like a kidnap situation even though we both knew it was. Sighing, I finish my breakfast and cuddle up next to Jack on the couch, flipping on the TV to see if there I any more "breaking news" on our kidnapping.

**Author's Note: Hmm, writing this chapter wasn't actually boring like I thought it would be! Hope this chapter was okay and had enough kick fluff in it! Read shiqi98's story, vote, and check out the Rise of the Guardians movie if you can because it is amazing! Bye for now and please, don't be shy in reviewing and checking out the first chapter of my Rise of the Guardians fic that should be up later today! **


	26. Plastic Knives and the Window

**Author's Note: See, I told you I wouldn't abandon this story! Here I am with an update! Hope you enjoy, review, and check out my Rise of the Guardians fic called "New Fear." I would really appreciate it! Oh, and to everyone whose Kickin' It fics I always read and review: Like I said, I'm sorry I haven't been keeping up with them! I swear I will get back into them again very soon. I'm just so behind with having to read all of the ROTG fics and Kickin' It fics that are being updated plus trying to write two fics at once! So, ya . . . anyway, enjoy and review!**

**Jack's POV**

We had just finished eating breakfast, and Kimmy suggested turning the TV on to see if there was anymore breaking news on our and Erin's kidnapping; my stomach churns a little at the thought of my baby sister all alone with my mom. I hoped she was okay. I push the thought out of my mind for now, knowing that, for the moment at least, I couldn't do anything about it. Sighing, I turn my attention to the television and watch the news. Just as we had predicted, it was about the events that had taken place yesterday. It showed the footage that had been filmed when the press had shown up there, as well as new live footage from right now.

I couldn't believe the nerve of those reporters, desperately trying to get someone to open the door to get the juicy scoop about how the parents felt and what their plan of action was and what exactly had happened. It makes me angry that they couldn't just leave Kim's parents and James alone when they were grief-stricken, trying to cope with what had happened. We are about to turn it off, sick of what we are seeing when a car pulls up and is swarmed by the press. Kim and I recognize the beat-up old car anywhere: it belongs to Rudy.

Both of us are suddenly more alert, siting up straight, and Kim even picks her head from it's previous resting place on my shoulder, much to my disappointment; I had been enjoying the cuddling from my girlfriend. I don't say anything, though, and instead focus on the TV as I see Rudy, Eddie, Jerry, and Milton climb out of the car, all looking very uncomfortable with the sudden attention and also looking upset. Well, why wouldn't they be? My crazy mother had kidnapped Kim and me; I would be worried had this situation happened to any of them. Heck, I was slightly worried now.

The reporters start bombarding the gang with relentless questions, so much that I couldn't tell which one was asking which question; they all just came out: "Who are you? Do you have relations with the kidnapping victims? How do you feel about what happened? Are you going to help get them back?" Those were only a few of the questions shouted at them, and I could see that Rudy so badly wanted to just flip or karate kick all of them, but he refrained from doing so.

Soon Mr. Crawford comes to their rescue though, telling the reporters in no certain terms to back off or he would call the cops to come deal with them, and how they wouldn't want that. I couldn't help but let out a tiny snicker at how they all quickly parted slightly, leaving room for the Warriors to get up the front porch and into the house. I knew that it was no laughing matter for them at home, since they had no idea we were perfectly fine and watching it as they worried for us, but I felt like it was okay to laugh if it relieved some of the tension and unease that I was feeling.

Kimmy joined in a little too, even if it seemed a little less humorous than mine; it was probably because of the sad, depressed look that had been on her father's face. We were used to seeing the Warriors upset on different occasions, but Kim's parents were always so strong. It even hurt me a little seeing them like that. After the Warriors and Mr. Crawford disappear inside the house, I shut the TV off, knowing that nothing of interest would be coming on after that.

Sighing again, I get up off of the couch and start to walk over to the game shelf, telling Kimmy that I will be right back. She watches me carefully, but apparently decides nothing will happen to me and I feel her eyes stop boring into the back of my neck as she turns her attention elsewhere. Grabbing "Trouble" and sitting back down with Kimmy, I notice something for the first time since we've been there. A little bit above us on one of the walls, there was a medium-sized window, like one you would find in some basements that are level with the ground above. I can see that it is locked, but my eyes fall on one of the plastic knives that my mom had included with the pancake breakfast. An idea forms in my head, and with a smile on my face, I tell say, "Kimmy, I think I know how we're getting out of here . . ."

**Author's Note: I know it's short; sorry! I hope it will do for now! Please review! Oh and check out shiqi98's story and vote and check out my Rise of the Guardians fic please! It's called New Fear! Bye for now!**


	27. Escape

**Author's Note: Okay, so someone reviewed and asked if a plastic knife could really open a window! Honestly, I'm not sure how it would work out, but for the sake of this story, it's going to be able to pick a lock. Haha, but thanks for bringing that up! If anyone else has any questions or concerns about anything I mentioned, feel free to review and tell me, or PM me! I love PMing! Haha now read shiqi98's story, vote, and please check out my Rise of the Guardians fic "New Fear" if you have seen the movie/read the book! Or if you haven't seen the movie, but wanna check it out anyway! Wow, that was a long author's note . . . **

**Kim's POV**

"Jack, can you stand on your tip-toes?! I just need to be a little higher to reach it," I say to Jack. I'm currently sitting on his shoulders trying to reach the window to try picking the lock with the plastic knife. I would stand up, but I don't want to fall or put to much pressure on his shoulders.

I am lifted a little bit higher, and know that he has complied. Reaching up, I slide the end of the knife into the rusty metal lock and turn. It moves, but not a lot. "Try again, Kimmy," Jack says, apparently noticing that it hadn't opened all the way on the first try. Determined to get out of here, I put all of my strength the flimsy plastic knife, twisting, and with a final twist, I hear the lock click open just as the knife snaps in half.

"Yes! I got it!" I say, throwing my hands up in the air in victory. Unfortunately, it sets Jack off balance, and with a small yelp, he topples backwards, spilling both of us onto the floor. He groans a little, and I help him up. "Sorry! Are you okay?" I ask him as soon as he is up. He rubs his head a little bit, and I feel guilty realizing that he must have hit it on the floor when it was already injured just because I had been careless.

Well, he didn't look too bad, so I figured he would deal until we were safely out of here and could get him checked out . . . for the third time in just a few days. Wow, he was having a tough few weeks. Clearing my head of those thoughts for now, I turn my attention back on Jack.

"Can you lift me back up again so I can open the window and climb out?" I ask.

"Yeah," he says, and bends back down so I can sit on his shoulders. Slowly, he stands up to his full height, getting me close enough to the window so that I can push it open. Smiling, I hold onto the ledge, and, warning jack first, stand up on his shoulders briefly so that I can slip out onto to the side of the house. I look around, and I don't recognize the area. Sighing, I look back down at the window in time to see Jack jump up, manage to just barely grab onto the ledge, and pull himself up onto the lawn with me.

Excitement rushes through me, knowing that we are both free, but it quickly dies down when I remember what we have to do next: break back into the house to find Erin and be able to escape with her. We didn't have our cell phones, and Jack and I had both agreed that there was no way we were leaving Erin alone with his mother any longer, even to get help. Jack must pick up on my sudden emption change, because he puts his hand on my shoulder, pecks me on the cheek, and says, "Don't worry, Kimmy, we'll get in, find her, get out, and get to safety; I promise."

I relax a little, because I know that when Jack promises something, he always follows through. We were going to be fine.

"Okay, then let's do this," I respond, a smile crossing my lips. Carefully and quietly, we make our way to the backyard of the house. We duck beneath the window, and peak our head up to see what we can see inside the house. Mrs. Brewer is in the kitchen, cooking herself something, and Erin was in a highchair, playing with her food.

Mrs. Brewer suddenly appears to remember something, though, and makes her way over too . . . the door of the basement, heading down. She would notice we were gone in a few seconds, which meant that we had to act now. "Jack, what do we do?!" I say, for once at a loss for an answer.

Jack, however, looks a little panicked too, which only makes things worse.

"Ummm . . . ummm . . ." he stutters, looking around desperately for anything we can use to help us. Eventually, his gaze settles on the lock for the window, which is on the outside. Quick as lightning, he undoes it, slides the window open, breaks the screen, and hops into the house, making a beeline for Erin, or so I thought. As I watch, he dashes right past her and closes the open door to the basement, latching all of the locks in place, which means Mrs. Brewer is trapped in the basement.

I smile; Jack could do a pretty good job under pressure. He does it just in time, because as soon as he finishes on the last lock, I hear his mother's footsteps coming up the stairs, and her frantic voice demanding that he let her out. He ignores her however, grabs Erin, and hands her to me as he climbs back out of the window.

"We did it!" I say happily as soon as he is back next to me on the back lawn. "What are we going to do about your mom, though?" I ask.

"Well, I have absolutely no idea where we are; we'll have to find someone to tell us, and then we can use their phone to call the cops from there, alright?"

"Okay," I answer, still smiling. "You hear that, little Erin? We're getting you home to your daddy," I say, bouncing the baby girl in my arms. She smiles at me, and I laugh; we were okay, and we were going to get home.

**Author's Note: Review please! Next chappie will be up tomorrow or the day after. By the way, this story will probably only have 2 or 3 chapters left, so I hope you have enjoyed it! **


	28. Undecided Feelings

**Author's Note: Hey, here is the next chapter! Hope you enjoy! The next one is the last chapter! Review! Oh, and I got a review asking for more possible action and Kick if it was possible for the last 2 chapters. I can't do any more action, since the story is ending, but I will try to put plenty of kick in the last chapter! So, enjoy the second to last chapter!**

**Jack's POV**

"Come on, Kimmy, let's try this house," I say, pointing to a house with a car in the driveway. I walk up the front steps with Kim close behind me, still holding Erin, and ring the doorbell, waiting to see if anyone will open the door. A few seconds go by, and finally I hear footsteps coming towards the front door.

A middle-aged woman, probably in her late thirties opens the door, staring down at us in shock, looking from me, to Kim, to Erin in Kim's arms. "Come in, come in!" she ushers, standing back from the door to allow us inside.

"I just – I was watching the news and – aren't you the-" the woman starts, still looking at us like she can't believe that we were here. I assumed she was referring to the fact that we had just been on the news about being kidnapped.

"Yes, we were on the news. I'm Kim Crawford, that's Jack Brewer, and this is his little sister. Yeah, we were kidnapped, now can we use your phone to call the cops?" Kim says bluntly, ignoring the shocked look the woman still has on her face as she looks at us. I can't help but chuckle a little bit; that was Kim for you. Her personality hadn't changed at all since I had met her 3 years ago.

"Um, yes, of course you can, you poor dears! Are you all okay!? Are you hurt? Are you hungry? Do you need anything!?" she asks while going into the other room to get her cordless phone.

"Well, I honestly probably have a concussion, but other than that we're fine. Don't worry, ma'am." I answer, since my head was still throbbing with some slight pain and I knew I probably had a concussion. It wasn't a big deal, though; I had gotten plenty of them over the years while doing karate.

The woman comes running back into the room shortly, holding a phone up to her ear.

"Hello, Water's Edge (**A/N Water's I made-up Water's Edge, it's not a real town) **Police Department, how may I help you?" I hear a muffled voice say from the other end of the line.

"Hi! Listen, those two missing teenagers and the baby from Seaford just showed up at my door.

There is a pause, and the person on the other end says something that I can't make out completely, but I think I catch the word 'injuries.'

"Um, the boy thinks he has a concussion but other than that they say they are fine . . . . okay. Yeah, my address is 73 Parks Street . . . . I will! Thanks!" With that said, she hangs up and turns to us.

"The police are on their way and also some paramedics. You kids just hang tight; they should be here in just a few minutes! Now, how did you kids manage to escape?!" she asks, sounding worried yet curious., and Kim and I explain the long story to her. By the time we finish, sirens can be heard getting closer. We go to the door and see 2 cop cars and an ambulance parked outside, and so we go out and greet them.

Many questions are asked to us, about what happened, how we escaped, and also where my mother was. We answered all of them, and the seconds two cops were sent next door to take my mother into custody while Kim waited with my sister in the back of the other, and a paramedic kept pushing on different spots on my head, making it ache a little more. I didn't show any weakness, though, and the paramedic confirmed that I had a concussion, but not to serious, and I was allowed to ride in the cop car with Kim and my sister, much to Kim's happiness. Soon, the car was in motion, heading back to Seaford, where we would be reunited with our family and friends (yes, I consider James my family).

I smile at thought. I had managed to get Kim and my little sister out of there unharmed, and I was happy. All that was undecided in my mind was how I felt about my mom at the moment . . .

**Author's Note: Okay, that was an extremely short chappie and I'm really sorry if you thought it was lame. I'm just not in much of a typing mood at the moment. I promise the last chapter will be over 1 thousand words, okay? Please review!**


	29. Back To Normal (Last Chapter!)

**Important Author's Note: Alright, if you read these author's notes, then you will now know – This is the last chapter of this story; it has come to an end. I have enjoyed writing it, and I hope that everyone enjoyed reading it! Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, favorited, and followed! You are all awesome! **

**Jack's POV**

"Kimmy!" Mrs. Crawford screams out with tears streaming down her face when Kim climbs out of the cop car that we had just arrived in front of her house in. I can't help but smile as Kim runs over to her mother and wraps her in a huge hug; it actually looked like she might stop breathing or have her ribs crushed if her mother didn't let go within the next few seconds. Her father hugged her next, a few tears coming down his face as well. I stayed in the car watching it all with Erin on my lap, afraid that if I came out I would ruin the moment for them. However, Kim came over and dragged me out so that her parents could hug me as well.

James's car pulled up at that moment; I don't know where he had been before this, but someone had apparently called him to tell him the news, because now he was rushing out of the car and over to me. He takes his daughter out of my arms and holds her close, then hugs me, whispering "Thank you." I just nod while he continues to hug me for a second longer, finally releasing me just as one final car pulls up: Rudy's. They had apparently left very quickly after they arrived the first time, because it had been less than an hour since we saw them pull up to the house on TV and struggle through the press, who were all mysteriously gone now. I assumed they had scrammed soon after Mr. Crawford had threatened to call the cops on them.

"Well, look who finally escaped! I figured that it would have taken you 2 hours max, Jack!" Jerry says, walking up to me with a smile. I laugh; even when he had so obviously been worried about us, he was cracking jokes about it already. I smile back and embrace him in a bro-hug, but while doing so, I whisper quietly in his ear, "Dude, I know you were an emotional wreck; I saw you when you guys pulled up in front of the press before."

He pulls away from me with a confused expression on his face, probably thinking 'How the heck did you know that?' I just laugh slightly and say, "I'll explain later," because I can see that Eddie, Milton, and Rudy have just finished welcoming Kim back and are making their way over to me, so Jerry in turn goes over to talk to Kim.

"Jack, we're so happy that you, Kim, and Erin are okay; we were so worried about you guys," Rudy says, clapping me on the shoulder and looking at me with an expression. Surprising him a little, I pull him into a hug, but he quickly recovers and hugs me back. When I let got of him, I talk to Milton and Eddie for a minute before the dreaded news vans start pulling up in front of the house again, and the 2 cops work on holding them back while The Crawfords usher all of us inside quickly before things can get out of hand with the amount of press showing up. Once inside, we all gather in the living room. Another few police officers show up, mostly to hold the growing crowd of reporters back, but two of them come inside, joining us in the living room as Kimmy and I tell the story of what happened.

At the end of the story, everyone is in a generally happier mood at hearing that we were actually kept comfortable for the brief time we had been held captive by my mother. Kimmy and I are also asked in private if we want to press charges against my mother and see how things would turn out in court, since no one was sure because of her mental disability. We both agree that we don't want to press charges, and just leave the woman be to get whatever help she needs.

Days go by, and things seem to slowly go back to normal. School started back up again, and by then the talk about us has already died down, people deciding it was old news and not worth gossiping about anymore. I am still currently living with the Crawfords along with James and my little sister; my mom is being treated in the mental ward of Seaford Hospital and isn't permitted to have any visitors for a long time. Despite everything that happened, I find myself falling back into an old routine; I'm not sure what I expected to feel when all of this finally ended, but as of right now, I don't really feel much about it. I don't know what to feel to be honest. I'm not upset with her, because it wasn't technically her fault because of whatever was going on in her head; she really thought she was helping. At the same time, though, I don't know how our relationship with each other will end up; I guess I'll decide on that when the time comes for her to be able to see us.

Right now, I'm just going focus on the present: My friends, my other family (James, Erin, and Kim's parents), and my relationship with Kimmy. "Jack? Can I come in?" Kimmy asks from the hall outside of my room, interrupting my thoughts.

"Ya!" I say, and the door creaks open as she walks in. She closes it behind her and lies down on the bed next to me.

"So, you haven't really been talking much about what happened; how are you feeling about all of this, Jack?" she asks me, sounding a little concerned. I just smile at her, and it is actually genuine.

"Honestly, Kimmy, I'm doing fine," I tell her, and I can tell that she knows I am not lying. She smiles back.

"That's great, Jack." Then, she turns onto her side so that she is looking at me, and I do the same. Smirking, she leans in and kisses me on the lips, deepening it as the seconds go by. It feels amazing, and I make sure it lasts, that is until her iPhone makes some kind of beeping sound and she unwillingly pulls away to make sure it is not something important.

"Oh, it's just from Grace; I left my jacket at her house the other day," she replies when I asked her who the text was from. She is about to put it back into her pocket when I catch a quick glimpse of her wallpaper; it looks like my color hair, and I quickly ask her what the picture is.

She blushes and tries to slip it back into her pocket quicker, but I grab it and look at the picture despite her protests to give it back.

The picture is of me sleeping in the hammock; it was from the day when we got kidnapped, but in the morning right before she dumped me out of the hammock to wake me up apparently. "Kim!" I say, and her blush deepens.

"Let me guess: five seconds?" she asks, smirking a little.

"You got it, Crawford," I say, smirking right back. Laughing, she gets up quickly and runs out of the room, me, true to my word, going after her five seconds later.

**Author's Note: I hope you all enjoyed this story! I enjoyed writing it, and I hope the ending was okay! Review! Thanks for reading, guys! **


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